


Wandering

by TheAnimeTrain



Series: SS and side stories [2]
Category: World Trigger (Anime & Manga)
Genre: 18 Year Olds are Metaphorical Cannibals, Action, Comedy, Family Issues, Important to main story, Neighbor-centric, Not Beta Read, Original Black Triggers, Original Character-centric, Original Neighbor Characters, Original Triggers, Science Fiction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-24
Updated: 2020-06-25
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:41:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 109,558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24901000
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheAnimeTrain/pseuds/TheAnimeTrain
Summary: The day after the fourth B-Rank Wars match was suppose to be like any day after a match. That is not the case when a someone from the past comes to reclaim the Black Trigger that was "human" and a new set of Neighbors appear for their own reasons.
Series: SS and side stories [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1801813
Kudos: 2





	1. Relax - Be_Active

A small break is always nice.

Currently, the B-Rank Wars for Border agents was going on. The amazing fights had continued on with each team fighting their hardest to make it to the top. Each team had their own reasons to be fighting, whether it was something noble or just to show off, and they would stick to their reasons.

That did not really matter at the moment seeing as the teams participating in the B-Rank Wars were on a small break. It had been a set day to give some extra time for each team to do what they needed to do or wanted to do.

That also meant that there was more time for them to strategize over their next matches.

There were also those who were not involved with the B-Rank Wars. Some of them had nothing to do with Border in general.

Those people were currently wandering around Mikado City, looking left and right as if getting caught by anyone would mean life or death.

To be precise, it was only one of them was looking around like a suspicious person while another one was walking with a stern look on his face. The two gave off the impression of a father with their child.

"Stop looking around, girl. If we end up getting caught then it's your fault. Stop it now or I am leaving you right here. Got it?"

"Yes... I'm sorry, Sensei."

The person being spoken to was hard to classify as a male or female. There were small hints here and there that made it seem like they were a girl. The thing that really sold that they were a girl was the fact that she was also wearing a skirt.

The person she was with was a tall man with dark hair that covered his forehead and gave a shadow to his eyes. His expression was a plain and stern one, although there was something about it that seemed to look like he was mad.

The girl quickly faced forward so as not to actually anger the man, but she still looked around the area. It was something she would always do, not for her own sake but the sake of the man next to her.

"Remember, we have something to do here. Stay focused and we will be fine."

"Um... What would that be again...?"

The man let out a small sigh.

"If you can't bother to remember then I won't bother to keep reminding you. Pay attention the next time I explain something."

"R-right... My bad. I'll try to keep that in mind later."

"For now, I'll let it slide. Just remember it this time so I don't have to repeat it again."

"Right! Got it!"

The man gave a small nod as if to say this truly was the last time he would be explaining things to her.

"We are here to take back my Black Trigger. I left it with my son and brother-in-law. Now I want to take it back so we can leave this world."

"And why do we want to leave it again...?"

"Because this world...is terrible. There is no point in staying on it any longer. That is why you will be going towards the base while I go get the Black Trigger. From there we will take their ship for ourselves."

The girl stayed silent for a moment.

She had no issue with Earth. None that she could think of at least. Even so, this man was someone she cared about enough to throw it all away and go along with the plan.

That was what he wanted, so she wanted it as well.

This was enough for her.

* * *

The stern man and suspicious girl were not the only ones who were walking around. Two others who did not belong in Mikado City were also there. Their appearances and general feeling were much more casual and carefree than the two who were looking for something.

They spoke as if they didn't have a care in the world while also appearing to be on guard for anything. They were clearly not amateurs in what they were doing.

While two others gave off the feeling of a father and his child, these two made it seem much more like they were a grandfather with his grandchild.

"Why do we have to come here? Isn't this the place where Aftokrator lost?"

"Yes. That's why we're here in the first place. Think about how strong they must be, and what kind of Triggers they have if they were able to fend off Aftokrator. We may even be able to learn something from them and expand on what we already have."

"Guess you're right~ Besides, I have to admit that the things here are amazing to look at. I just bought this thing called a 'hotdog' and it's amazing! Do you wanna try some? It tastes really good!"

"Not to sound rude, Sir, but are you an idiot? And I mean, are you a major idiot that only comes along every few hundred years? If so, I must give you much more credit than I have before. I really never thought your kind existed."

"What!? Why would you ask that!?"

"...No reason. Also, how did you get any money for that Miden food anyways? Please tell me that you didn't cause an incident simply because you were hungry."

"Of course not! I just went to one of their shops and sold some stuff I had on me. Apparently the shiny thing called 'gold' that we had on the ship is worth a whole lot. But the place seemed to have a lot of it already."

"Odd... This place truly is a strange place. Not everything that shiny should have such value. I suppose we should be thanking the former captain for obtaining such material when he was last here."

"Yeah..."

Two people calmly walked down one of the streets in Mikado City. From the way they talked anyone would be skeptical of them, but it would pass by as paranoia. That would be expected though since the two were dressed in regular clothing you could find at any passing by shop.

The first one was a boy looking to be in his late teens to early twenties in regular clothing with a necklace that looked like it was for royalty more so than anything else. He looked around in excitement as he continued to eat the snacks he had bought only a few minutes ago.

The second person was also a man, but one looking to be middle aged. He looked like he had much experience with all of his wrinkles and tired face. He seemed more focused than his partner, yet just as carefree.

The atmosphere around the two, which had been carefree, had taken a dip at the mention for someone they both missed dearly. Like anyone else, they missed those they had lost due to circumstances.

Even so, the younger man made sure to not dwell on it as he continued on.

"Anyways. Why didn't we just send some soldiers? If we played it off right we could have came in and said we were 'Heroes of Justice' and get everyone's favor," the younger one said as he licked his lips to get the ketchup off of them. "Oh~ If you leave it on your face then you have something to eat for later on!"

"We couldn't do that because you made a mistake last time and we ended up using too many of them. This world doesn't make Trion Soldiers like the others, so we wouldn't be able to ask for any from them."

The man glanced down at his partner.

"And please never do that. It will probably taste terrible after a few minutes. Also, it's disgusting."

"Oh... Right... Heh heh heh... Forgot about that..." Looking away from the small glare the older man sent his way, the younger one tapped his head for a few seconds before looking up as if he got a great idea. "Hey! Then why didn't we just send Pyrínas? You know we can always trust him to get the job done! It's so easy! We could use one through seven!"

"We can't use him because we sent him to that other city, and everyone after seven aren't capable of changing their shape. Being in their other forms makes things much easier. Now, Sir, please continue to look around for the building where the Suzunari Branch is. Once that is done, we must move on."

"Yes~ Yes~"

.

The two strangers continued to walk down the street, never once taking a look around them. There had never been a reason to do so, meaning they could not see the person running right towards them. Rather, the person was running in their direction with seemingly no breaks.

The older man looked forward when he felt the person run right into him at full force. He still stood, but the same could not be said for the other person.

The older man noticed that the person was a boy who could not have been more than a few years younger than his partner.

"(Ah, crap! Sorry 'bout that!)" Noticing he was speaking his native language, the boy changed to a different one. "Sorry about that. I'm in a hurry and didn't see where I was going!"

The boy, with little effort, jumped to his feet.

"It's quite alright. Just make sure to watch where you're going," the older one said as he patted the boy's head, which was covered by a gray trapper hat. "Now, you said you were in a hurry. Go on, don't let me keep you waiting."

"Right! Again, sorry!"

With that, the boy ran off.

The older man smiled as the boy ran off. He could feel his partner giving him a dirty look while standing next to him.

It was to be expected at this point.

"Why are you always nice to younger people except me!?"

"Because they usually don't give me heart attacks by being too reckless. You, on the other, have caused me to lose so much sleep that it is showing on my face. Even Sanshū has not been as bad as you."

"I said I was sorry!"

* * *

The boy in the gray trapper hat on, after having just ran into a man, continued to run to a group of two girls and one guy. He let out a breath once he reached them and started speaking. Even with the running, he did not seem too winded and just straightened up so he could look them in the eyes.

His tone was not one of apologies but rather one of unrestrained engery. Even his face expressed how unpahsed he was by things around him.

"Sorry I'm late! Step had come to see me before I could leave, so I had to see if Ai would watch him for a bit!"

"I still don't get why you didn't honestly come with Takeshi. Both of you live right next to each other, so there's no reason not to be his escort."

"Please don't make it sound like that, Suzume-senpai. Besides, I don't need a dog to escort me." Takeshi turned away from his upperclassman to look at Toby. "By the way, we saw what just happened. I can't believe you ran into an old person. Slow down once in a while."

"But it was honestly fun to see him fall on his ass while the old guy was still standing."

"(Hey!)"

"Please calm down, Toby-kun. And Senpai, please don't antagonize him."

Continuing their talking while they walked, Kotowari Squad, minus their Operater, made their way through Mikado City with a single destination in mind. They had fought their fourth match in the B-Rank Wars and were now actually taking time off from their training.

Under normal circumstances they would all be doing their own things and avoiding each other for the most part. Things were different right now since they had agreed to do this ahead of time. It was a sort of group activity that they needed after everything they have had to deal with.

"I still don't get why you wanna go to the mall of all places," the boy in the trapper hat said as he crossed his arms. "Can't we just go to some local store. I'm sure they'll have what you want anyways."

The boy, as mentioned before, had a trapper hat on, covering his brown hair. He had brown eyes to match and looked like the type of person who was a delinquent from a different country. Well he was American after all, so the judgment was not totally without reasoning. It showed on his tan skin as well. He was the Attacker of the Kotowari Squad and neighbor to his captain.

"Because I honestly want to go to that sale on CDs there! There's one I've been wanting and now's my chance to get it at a lower price!" one of the two girls there said as she flipped her hair. "Besides, I honestly know for a fact that you need some stuff from there as well."

She is Misaki Suzumebachi. She had short, brown hair as well as green eyes that seemed more like shining emeralds than eyes. Her appearance was one of a model with her looks being able to attract almost any guy she wanted. Although she never used her looks for something petty like that. Not on purpose that is. She also had a musical note necklace around her neck. She is the Sniper of Kotowari Squad, but could easily switch to using a blade or gun.

"I'm actually in agreement with Toby here. Wouldn't it be better to train some more? I still need to get the hang of Zanzō before we head back up to the more powerful opponents," the second boy said as he fixed the scarf around his neck. "We have to catch up to Yuki-san after all."

"I don't know. It is nice to just have some time for us. Even if we are in Rank Wars, we are still people," the second girl said while giving a heaven-sent smile. "There will certainly be enough time to catch up to Kiyo-nii-san."

The boy was Kotowari Takeshi, captain of Kotowari Squad, as well as their Shooter. He has black hair, with some gray streaks, and gray eyes. He wore a gray scarf around his pale neck and had an almost bored look on his face. He had taken up the title of Captain after their team's disbandment, but in reality was just a figurehead for the team.

The second girl was Taiyōko Hoshi, the youngest sibling in the Taiyōko family. She had black hair that would normally fall over her right eye but was held up by a crescent moon hair clip. She had the aura and image of an elegant, majestic princess from a fairy tale, and would be called such at times.

"It is nice at times, but we want to reach Yuki already so we can properly kick his ass."

"One day won't kill you, right?"

"See, Hoshi-chan gets it! Besides! You two honestly need some new clothes! Holes are starting to appear in your shirts and I honestly can't stand it. I want the two of you to honestly look good so you can get girlfriends!"

"Pah! No! I need new pots since this idiot Shooter actually tried to make something yesterday and messed up everything in my kitchen! And don't use us as material!"

"Why do you let him in?"

"I don't! This idiot stole my spare key! (I've told you this already!)"

"Here's a better question then... Why did you need to bring us along, Senpai? I had planned on meeting up with Asano so we could practice a bit."

"Now I would honestly be on you, asking for the details, but I'm on a mission here, so please don't mention things like that to me." Fixing her hair into a small tail, Suzume went to answer the initial question. "Anywho. I'm honestly bringing you two since Mei-san's not even in Mikado City right now, so I need to bring someone else."

"By the way, where did she say she was going again?"

"Honestly... You don't pay attention to anything, do you?"

"She said she needed to go to the next city over with some of the people from Yagura for a while. She'll be back later."

"Oh..."

Content with watching her team converse, Hoshi stayed quiet with a smile on her face.

She had been the latest addition to the squad but, unlike the other three, she did not stand out much. She did not mind this at all, always happy with just watching them and their usual antics. They were considered the main fighters of the team while she took up the role of a support fighter.

Taking her eyes off them for a few second to look around, she saw a familiar face and straightened up a bit. She fixed her hair for a few second before turning back to her squad. The smile she wore was much more bright and filled with innocence that may have never been seen before.

"Ah. Excuse me," she said, getting their attention. "I know I said I would go with you all, but I'm going to check something out over there. Ah! If you don't mind, that is!"

"Oh. Alright." Seeing passed the girl, Suzume saw a certain glasses wearing boy and forced herself not to grin. "We'll see you later then. And honestly don't let us stop you from having some fun of your own~"

"Make sure to meet back up later for some training."

"Right! I will message you when it's time."

The three watched as she jogged over to the glasses-boy and could not help the smile that came to their faces.

Well, two of their faces.

Takeshi let out a sigh as he started walking once more.

He knew that the other two felt like Hoshi was a sister to them now. That was why they were happy for her. It was almost like they wanted to see their own younger siblings in such a state as well.

Both Suzume and Toby were older siblings with age-varying younger siblings. They would start going on-and-on about their siblings when given the chance. It was certainly annoying, but Takeshi was not going to be the person to stop them. It was similar to how Arashiyama and Yuki would get when speaking about their siblings.

Takeshi had older brothers before but had been so distant towards them that he had never really seen the appeal of a sibling. These same brothers had died during the first invasion on Mikado City, but he still felt nothing towards them. It seemed sad for anyone who knew, although he had little care for them to begin with.

Letting out a sigh at his own inability to understand siblings, Takeshi ignored them and continued on.

* * *

A sickly-looking person slowly sat up while holding his head. His expression was one of pain, yet he also seemed like he was more mad than anything.

It was understandable when his whole body was a constantly deteriorating one that caused him pain on a daily basis. Having to wake up with this pain, as well as pain to his head, would cause anyone to be angry.

"Urg... My head is killing me."

"That's probably because you fainted after having a coughing fit. Please be more careful. I don't want to have to speak at your funeral so soon. Then again, knowing you, you would come back to life just to tell me off for not doing it right."

"Don't worry. I don't plan on dying anytime soon. If I do, I'll tell you about it. It would be annoying if you didn't at least try to meet my expectations."

Looking to the side, Yuki saw Murakami sitting in a chair close to him.

Tsukiko Yuki, or Taiyōko Kiyoshi (depending in the person you asked), was an eighteen-year-old guy with black hair that seemed to have more by his left eye. He had a fragile and sickly look to him, but he held the honor of being an A-Rank agent at Border with the specialized Trigger known as Idōgetsu. He was also the representative of the Yagura Branch.

The other guy - Murakami Kō - was also an eighteen-year-old male with short spiky gray-brown hair, which seemed to be slicked back. He had a more indifferent look to him and seemed more durable than the other male. He was a B-Rank agent for Border and the ace for the Kuruma Squad, which was stationed at the Suzunari Branch.

The two had some history together, so seeing the two together, or at each other's branch offices, was not an uncommon thing. The two seemed to be hanging out more so than before.

"Urg. Did I really cough that much? Damn. No wonder Mei's always bugging me to be careful..." Looking around, Yuki saw that he was on a couch and easily put together that he was in the branch office. "So what are you even doing here?"

"Senpai asked me to come check on you while they're all gone. Apparently you had been fighting with Tachikawa-san before you passed out."

"'They'? Oh crap. I forgot about that. Do you know who all went?"

"Well the only one who was here when I arrived was Sensei, and Hoshi is with her team, so I'm assuming the rest of them went."

Whether that was a good thing or not was up in the air at this point.

The two could only think about how destroyed the area was after having those people in it for this long.

Yagura Branch had been created with some of the strangest people. Four being from the same family while others just being oddities. For them all to in a city with no supervision would be worse than having children on their own.

* * *

"Thins somehow ended up like this..." muttered Takaoto Mei as she shook her head. She fixed her hair up by clipping the parts by her face up to the top sides of her head.

Standing next to her was Taiyōko Kushikage, a bandage wrapped woman who had crimson hair (dyed) and a mischievous look in her eyes.

They had both gotten separated from their group in some confusion and had gone to see if they could find the missing A-Rank, B-Rank, Operator, and two C-Ranks.

"I didn't think the great Fuji-sama would get lost when she is suppose to be supervising the rest of us."

"Well maybe if you didn't play around so much, I would have an easier time doing my job."

"Now, now, no need to get so feisty. I just want to have some fun while we were out here. Speaking of which... Why the hell does a place like this have such a fuckin' massive multi-layer overpass to begin with? This isn't some bustling American city where everyone is moving around at Mach 10 just to get to their shitty jobs."

"I don't know. Maybe they just want to seem more busy than they actually are. Either way, it reminds me of the recent match we had."

"Hoshi still needs some improvements in her technique," muttered Kushikage. "Anyway, Fuji-chan, are you sure you should be doing that during such an urgent time?"

"What are you trying to say?"

Mei had called up a map on her cell phone in order to think up a way to regroup with the other members, but...

"That sure is a lot of unrelated locations you have marked on your cell phone map there. What's this? You have that weird store Lover's Sign marked?"

"Wha-!?"

Mei turned her cell phone off as quickly as humanly possible, but Kushikage's grinning didn't stop.

"Isn't that a store well known for its disgustingly shitty lovey-dovey atmosphere? Although I had heard they had recently started expanding the breadth of their operations because business was in the shithole..."

"...For someone who doesn't care about love, you sure are knowledgeable about this."

"You can quickly find almost any information you want on the internet. But I thought they had an external detective agency perform a background check on the customer before they would make any items for them. I don't think they would accept an order from a girl who looks like she's from some prepubescent middle school band group."

"Ugh..."

"Which means... Heh heh... It must be that new service of theirs...ha ha... Those charm bracelets that look expensive, but are connectable by plastic for lovers in a less serious relationship... hee hee..."

"Gah! Fine, you're right! When I heard you were all coming here, I just thought I could come along and stop by to grab those bracelets when I had some time! Is that so wrong!?"

"...Those bracelets are made of titanium. They're cheap but don't you think they're a little unrefined?"

"Titanium can be colored using electrolysis when it's in a solution. If two bracelets are manufactured with the same equipment, the pattern of the coloration comes out so the two bracelets connect."

"So you were going to color them using a combination of the store's equipment, electricity and your own hyper calculations? ...Isn't that like some crappy stalker girl who's gift is only accepted out of pity when she tried super fuckin' hard to make it? The girl's the only one who finds that crap romantic."

"Eh!?"

"Not to mention that the two of you aren't even going out yet. Do you have any idea how a guy must feel if the girl gives him a gift like that? He'd probably be wondering how the fuck you even got his wrist measurement."

Mei stiffened and Kushikage sighed.

The girl who was wearing almost nothing over her slender body and large breasts took pity on Mei and decided to stop poking fun at her over that.

"Well, enough with the stupid mushy-gushy crap. More importantly, I knew that you you still couldn't hold a candle to someone like me."

"What?"

"What's the point of of training when the most important part of a woman will never grow to be like this?"

"...Are you talking about breast size...?"

Mei's fist clenched with so much power that anyone looking would think she had some kind of supernatural power that could destroy anything with one punch.

Paying the tightening fist no heed, Kushikage finished the jab with a, "I never said that. I could be meaning how I get any guy I want while you can't even get one."

"I am seriously going to punch you! Stay still!"

* * *

The two friends let out simultaneous sighs.

"I see..."

There was a moment of silence between the two.

They just wanted to let everything sink in and see if they would get a call saying they need to drag two destructive women back to Mikado City.

Once the moment was done, Murakami started speaking again.

"Oh yeah. Shinoda-san is also here. He's talking with Sensei right now."

"Tora-san?"

Getting up, the two walked out of the main room and headed over to Akasora's office. When they got closer they could hear the two talking about nothing particular and seemed to just be having a regular conversation.

Now this would not have been bad if it was not for the fact there was a bottle of sake on the desk. That was the first thing they noticed once they entered the room.

"It's about time you got up, you lazy brat." Looking at the two with a bored expression, Akasora drank some of the sake before putting the bottle back down. "Hurry up and get in here."

"I don't think you should be drinking, Sensei," Murakami said as he entered the office with his friend. "Especially since it's the middle of the day. You're a respected-"

"Semi-respected."

"-adult, as well as the branch manager of the Yagura Branch. Getting drunk like this isn't something you should be doing. Leave that stuff to Kushikage-san. She is the one no one actually respects."

"Pah! I don't really care. I'm nowhere near being a lightweight, so it doesn't matter. It takes me at least five bottles of the best stuff to just get me tipsy. I'd think you two would know this by now."

"It's a fact we didn't care to know." Turning to the other man, Yuki gave a small greeting of, "Hey, Tora-san."

"Now that you're awake, we can properly discuss this," Shinoda said as he took the bottle from Akasora's hand and put it down. "So that means no more drinking, Chishi."

"Tch. If we're talking about that guy then I'll need more than this. I'd rather deal with a hangover than that headache."

"What is it?"

"Kō, you'll probably hear something about this when you go back to Suzunari, but it's best to hear it now, I suppose. As my students I probably should have actually said this a lot sooner. The guy is just too...irksome for me to even mention."

"Who are you talking about, Sensei?"

"There are two people in Mikado City that we need to be on the lookout for. One is someone both Masafumi and I know pretty well while the other seems to be his partner or something."

"We don't know who this partner's name is, or even who they are generally, but the one we do know is Tenryū Seidō. He's been missing for a while now and has been labeled as a fugitive. He's easily on par with us two when it comes to using a Trigger, and we have no idea why he's back."

"A fugitive... Wait! Tenryū?"

Letting out a groan, Yuki slid his hand down his face.

Murakami looked from the two older ones to the one next to him in confusion. The name was familiar, he could even associate it with someone, but it still confused him as to why that name meant so much to Yuki.

"Yeah. I know. I made sure not to tell Shokubutsu about it though. He probably won't be able to handle the shock of it."

"It's not just that."

"We know. The Tenryū family was against you're parents as much as Awdry and Kurosaki, so that's why we're glad the rest of them have left. With you're name having been changed to Tsukiko there won't be as much of a problem with him going after you."

"Either way though, it's still troubling to know he's here. On the flip side of that, we could use this to our advantage and try to get him."

"If I may say something." Getting the attention of the three, Murakami got a more serious look than he had before. "I'm not sure what exactly you're all talking about, but there's something wrong with this... Not everyone left, remember? Hoshi is still here in Mikado City."

"Shit!"

"Hold on a moment," Shinoda said as he held Yuki back. "He doesn't know that. For all we know, he could just be here for something else entirely. We're keeping tabs on him for now and we're going to be making sure an A-Rank agent is tailing him at all times."

"There's also that person with him. If we forget about them then it'll give them the freedom to move around as they please. Kō, like I said before, you'll probably get a watered down version of this all when you go back to Suzunari, but could you also make sure everything's okay if you see them?"

"We know you need to focus on the Rank Wars, but this would be very much appreciated."

"Of course. I'll make sure to keep an eye out."

The two regular agents nodded their heads. Akasora had done so much for them in the past that it would be wrong to not help him at times like these. What was more was that it was also an assignment from Director Shinoda as well. They knew that they were not the only ones who would be hearing this.

Although there was something out of place from this all and the two of them knew it.

"Sensei, what else do you want to tell us? You both look like there's more to this story than just our assignments. What else comes with talking about Tenryū?"

Akasora let out a resigned sigh.

His hand started for the sake once more. He stopped just before grabbing it, deciding that it was better to speak with his students sober than being even a bit tipsy.

"Seidō was a member of Border a while ago. He was around the same level as us two. From the last name I'm sure you can figure out that he's related to my nephew. The two are father and son. Don't be surprised if Shokubutsu says he doesn't know that."

"I'll take a guess and say he left when Tenryū was young."

"You would be right. His wife had also been a part of Border, as well as my own sister. The two were really a great pair, both in combat and general. Well, something had happened a bit after Shokubutsu was born. That being the creation of Shikifuku. Now then, answer this question: if we have not seen my sister since the creation of Shikifuku, what do you two think that means?"

The answer was obvious.

"Yup. She became the Black Trigger known as Shikifuku. Even her personality shows a bit in it."

"What do you mean, Sensei?"

"He's probably talking about the fact that Shikifuku can be used by virtually everyone. It's interesting in that sense since even Black Triggers seem to have preferences."

Akasora gave a nod.

"That's right. My sister was someone who cared for everyone. Although she was also a bit difficult at times, represented by the fact that Shikifuku has three separate parts that can be used simultaneously by other people. At least that's what we think. The people who knew her can see it all."

There was a moment of silence.

Akasora seemed to thinking over something as he spoke. Picking and choosing the correct words was not something he was use to, but he knew that he had to make it understandable enough for his students.

"To tell you two the true, we didn't even know that Shikifuku was a Black Trigger at the time. Seidō had been the only one to see it all happen. We only found out about it when my nephew had accidentally used it at some point. Then we saw a letter when going through Seidō's belongings. From there we decided to hide the fact that it was a Black Trigger. It was a secret to even some of the directors. If only because we wanted to make sure it couldn't be used too often."

"But you had to bring it out during the invasion. That was a necessary time to use. We had to deal with multiple Black Triggers at the time while Jin didn't have Fujin and Amo was busy elsewhere due to orders."

"Correct. A+ for you. Even though I hardly did anything. I could only buy some time since that woman had sent me away from the battlefield. In all actuality, I shouldn't have been a part of the invasion at all. I should have been doing my part as a teacher."

"You were compensated for your work. Don't start that up again or I'll take the alcohol away from you."

Akasora was quick to grab the bottle on the table out of fear of losing it.

Murakami and Yuki laughed a bit at this.

"And the father... What exactly happened with Seidō-san?"

Akasora and Shinoda had a bittersweet feeling when they heard Murakami speak about their former friend with respect. They were glad to know that he respected the man that was on equal footing as them. They also felt like he did not deserve that kind of respect.

Even so, the two would answer honestly.

"He took care of Shokubutsu rather well. He was a kind parent and never hit Shokubutsu for no reason. Basically, he was your average father who just happened to be a part of Border. At some point his view probably changed, most likely after Shikifuku was created. That's probably our fault for not noticing anything particular going on."

"Don't mind that last part too much." Shinoda let out a sigh while ruffling his hair. "But I'll finish things up while your stupid teacher drinks some more. It looks like he needs it from here on out."

Murakami and Yuki looked over to see that Akasora was staring at the bottle in his hand.

"At some point Seidō had left without letting anyone know. It was in the late hours so no one was really even awake at the time. Shokubutsu did not seem to mind... No. Maybe it was that he hadn't even noticed that his father was gone in the first place."

"How's that? Shobu is a perceptive kid. I doubt that he wouldn't notice if his caretaker was missing. Sensei even said that Seidō-san was a good father."

"He never said that he was a 'good father'. Chishi had said that he had taken care of his son. That's all. He was giving everything a person needs. Food and other necessities were always provided without issue. But to say that he was always there..."

"The guy spent more time fighting Neighbors than anything else. In a way, you can say he was a grownup version of Miwa. Just without all the hate."

"Exactly. So, suffice to say, Shokubutsu didn't notice that anything was wrong. Actually... It may have been that he saw nothing wrong with his father leaving him. It was only after we had gone to their house did he tell us that Seidō wasn't around. That's also when we saw Shikifuku on his wrist. As mentioned before, we didn't give that too much thought when we first saw it."

They were glad. Murakami and Yuki were glad to hear more. They knew more about their teacher, one of the director, as well as the child Yuki was rather fond of.

At the same time, it made them mad. To hear that a father left his child for seemingly no reason would get anyone mad. The fact they knew the child was what made things worse. Murakami knew him because of Yuki and Akasora but he could not find a reason not to be mad. It was much worse for Yuki.

Yet the two said nothing. They simply waited for the two adults to finish speaking.

"Now that everything has been brought out to the two of you, we can say something else about why he would be coming back. We think he is back to take Shikifuku."

"Wait... While it's messed up that he just left Shobu without any warning, is that really a reason to be so worried? He may be as good as the two of you but that's only with a Trigger, right? We just need to make sure he doesn't get a Trigger to work with."

"That's not so easy. You see, when he left... He took a few Triggers with him."

"Ah. Now that makes sense..."

"Exactly. That's why it was so sudden as to why I sent everyone to the next city over. I never let that kid go so far away without taking Shikifuku. Since I've seen Seidō myself that means he doesn't know that Shikifuku isn't in Mikado City."

Everything was thought out. So much so that they did not seem to take into consideration Yuki being unable to go with the rest of the Yagura Branch. It was a clear sign that they had not told Mei anything about this.

Being told to keep an eye out by these two was enough for them to follow orders. It was part of their job as Border agents. Having a solid reason to do so made them steal their resolve even more.

They knew what they had to do and they would get it done.

Which was why a last question was brought up.

"Sensei, Shinoda-san, do you want me to follow them? You guys know that I can handle something like that. If it gets to a point, I am the best at getting away."

"That's alright. He's a cautious guy to begin with. He probably thinks we already know he's here. If you start watching him then he will definitely notice and do something about it. It'll make things worse if you are out of range for Bail Out. You won't be able to make an escape, and with your body the way it is..."

A deteriorating body. That was what Yuki had and they all knew it.

"If you say so... Well, I'll still be keeping an eye out for anything particular. I don't know why but I'm getting this bad feeling."

"Thanks." Letting out a long sigh, Akasora sat back in his chair. "You two can go now. I want to talk some more with Masafumi."

"Right, right. Old man talk is the last thing I want to hear." Standing up, Yuki waved his hand while saying, "Come on, Kō."

Following the other, Murakami left behind Yuki.

The two made their way towards the door to give the two some privacy.

"I really hope he doesn't end up meeting with Shokubutsu at any point. That kid... Not too sure how he would take it at this point."

Akasora grabbed his wrist as he looked at nothing particular. The item that was usually there was gone, but it was in good hands.

"This really sucks..."

* * *

"This really sucks."

Yuki scratched the back of his head as he and Murakami left the office and walked down the street.

Having felt bad for causing Murakami some trouble he decided to walk his friend to the Suzunari Branch. There were also things to talk about from everything they had just heard.

"It's bad enough Toby's dad is here, but the fact Seidō-san is also here..."

"Hey, there's something that I still don't know. Even after what Sensei and Shinoda-san told us, what was that about your parents and those families? Were they all on bad terms with each other?"

Letting out a sigh, Yuki turned his head and thought about if he had told Murakami before or not. He was not one to talk about his family - unless it was Hoshi - so he did not think he would mention something like that before, even if it was Murakami. It was even likely that he had not spoken to Mei about this either.

Murakami on the other hand was trying to remember if he was ever told something like this. Even with his Side Effect he could not remember being told, so it most likely did not happen. If he did not have his Enhance Trance Memory he would still have remembered something important like this seemed to be.

"Those people-"

There was a brief moment where Yuki noticed something from the side coming towards them.

His natural instincts were to either move out of the way or stop whatever it was. Yet there was something about it that made him stay still. Even as the thing latched on to his neck.

"(Someone I know!)"

Murakami looked to see a small girl with heterochromatic eyes and a smile on her face as she held onto Yuki without a problem. He felt a bit worried since he knew that Yuki's body could give out at any moment.

Yuki seemed fine with the girl hanging from his neck so some of his worries were pushed down. Even so, they both looked at the girl with confused looks.

"Michelle, what are you doing here? Where's your mother?"

The heterochromatic eyed girl gave a giggle as she held on to Yuki's shoulders so she would not fall of his shoulders.

Murakami raised an eyebrow when he saw the scene. He had not learned any languages before but he could tell that what the girl was speaking was one of rougher sounding languages, making it easier to narrow down which one it was.

Setting the girl on the ground, Yuki bent down to the girl's eye level.

He remembered that she could not speak Japanese as well as the rest of them, having not lived in Japan but in Germany, so he asked his question again. This time he asked it in his head so that she could use her Side Effect to understand him.

"(She's not here with me! I came here to see you all!)" the girl answered back in German. "(I came with someone else, so that's how I got here! I got permission of course!)"

"Yuki..."

Remembering his friend was still there, Yuki turned to Murakami and showed the girl to him. He introduced them to each other before turning back to Michelle.

To have this little girl here at a time like this would be dangerous. While he had not doubt that she would be taken care of once others knew she was around, he did not want to run that risk.

Even then, there was another question that lingered in his mind. That being a wonder as to where Michelle's dog was. To see them apart, especially right now, made him worry a bit.

"(I'm gonna be busy for a while, so I won't be able to be around. Sorry. But I'm sure we can find Minoru around somewhere.)"

Yuki pulled his arms back so that they looped around Michelle's legs. He thought it best to carry her like this instead of having her hang on for dear life around his neck.

He had planned to accompany Murakami back to the Suzunari Branch but that had been tossed out the window once the girl came into play. So he gave his friend an apologetic look.

The ever faithful Murakami let out a sigh to show that he could already understand the idiot's thoughts.

"Kō, you can go back if you want. I need to go find Minoru before anything else."

"Alright. Make sure to take care of yourself. If I get any message saying that you passed out again..."

"Yeah, yeah. Just tell the others I said 'Hi' would you."

Nodding his head, Murakami took his leave.

He knew that he could trust Yuki for something like this.

* * *

"(Wow! So this is what it looks like! Everything looks amazing here! Border is such a cool place!)"

Stepney stared in awe as he looked around the room that had four other people in it. He hopped around from one person to another while the one at the door let out a sigh.

Kitora, for a reason she cannot come to understand, decided she would watch Toby's little brother while he went off to do something. She was not told what that something was. She was not going to train with Mikumo today, so it was not too much of a problem for her. The issue was that the young boy was full of energy, something that reminded them all of his older brother.

Arashiyama did not seem to mind the boy there and both Tokieda and Ayatsuji seemed to really warm up to the boy. Nothing could be said about Satori since he was not in the room. She herself did not mind the boy either, but how short notice it was bugged her to no end. Especially since she would be busy.

"So you're Awdry's little brother, huh? I can definitely see the resemblece."

Stpmey seemed to enjoy the simple last to the head he received from Arashiyama.

Kitora could see that the boy enjoyed affection from others. It almost looked like he craved it, something that she could figure out the reason for.

She had seen just how the boy's father treated his children and was no pleased with the memory of it. It may have been the oldest son but the treatment was wrong regardless.

Although seeing the boy so excited how just a simple thing did warm her heart a bit.

"(Yup! Big bro is really awesome!) Oh. I am sorry, everyone. I forgot that I was speaking in English."

Arashiyama simply let out a laugh and continued to talk with the boy who was basically bouncing in front of him. Telling him that it was fine and that Kitora knew what he was saying while he got a very things from listening to Toby before.

Ayatsuji calmly watched this all happen from her seat.

What else she could see was how Kitora was acting towards this all.

"If you're annoyed with this then why didn't you just give him to his parents?"

"Because he doesn't want to be with his parents," Kitora answered. "He went to see Awdry because he's the only family member he likes. And I've seen how the parents treat their children. It's deplorable."

"I suppose that's understandable."

Turning back, they saw Arashiyama telling the younger boy about Border. Obviously he was just saying things everyone knew.

Going into fine detail was not something they would expect a child to understand. Especially one so young.

"Can you explain how Triggers work?"

The squad was a little shocked at this. Not because he had asked that question, but because of the way he had asked it. He asked that simple question in a way they would expect an adult to ask.

That was when they remembered who exactly were his parents and what family he had come from.

This child was the son of two wealthy people who ran their separate businesses with iron fists and with no-nonsense attitudes. Stoney may have had to grown up fast to continue living under their roof.

That had been how Toby was before moving to Mikado City.

Kitora felt bad all over again.

Before they could go on to explain how a Trigger works, or question the child, they heard a familiar voice going towards them.

"Duck your head now~!"

"Okay~"

They all turned to see Satori walk in with a seven year old girl on his shoulders.

Recognizing the girl, Stepney ran forward with an excited yell as the girl got down from Satori's shoulders.

That was no something they had expected.

"Mitsu!"

"Step! Hey, hey, what are you doing here!?"

"Big sis Ai is watching me!" Stepney excitedly said as he pointed to the slightly blushing Kitora. "What about you!?"

"Ken-chan said he would seriously play with me!?"

Satori could feel the stares from his teammates and turned around to give them a sheepish laugh. He had not known that Stepney was there in the first place, so he was a little shocked by it.

"You see... Suzu-chan-"

"Said she was going somewhere, but didn't tell you where, right?" Arashiyama asked, feeling a sense of déjà vu. "Well that's fine. Those two will keep each other busy, I'm sure. They seem to get along already."

"Arashiyama-san."

"Hm? Yeah?"

"The kids are gone."

Everyone quickly turned their heads all around to see that the kids were really gone. Not a hint of them was in the room.

Satori and Kitora started to panic a little bit. They both knew how their respective charge's sibling would react to this. What made it worse was that Kitora did not want Stepney's dad to find out something like this. They both quickly ran out of the room in search of the the two kids.

Letting out a small sigh, Arashiyama stood up and stretched for a few seconds. He thought it would be best for the remaining three to help in the search since it was their teammates that were in charge if the children.

"Ayatsuji, Mitsuru, we're going to go out and help them. It's our duty to help them out."

"You just don't want Misaki to write stuff about us or for Awdry to attack us when we least expect it, right?"

"Exactly. Knowing those two... They'll string us together with Ken and Kitora, meaning we'll all be in trouble without doing anything."

Tokieda gave a nod while muttering under his breath.

"Older siblings really are scary..."

* * *

"Man! Why did you have to take so long? Why did I even have to wait for you in the first place!?"

Konami had an irritated look on her face as she walked along side Karasuma on their way headed to Tamakoma. She had stopped by the store Karasuma had been working at and was asked to wait for his to get off. She was told it would only be around five minutes, but that quickly turned into thirty. Then she was told a lie so that she would stay.

She still thinks the lie is true.

"Thank you for waiting."

"It's not like I had a choice! I didn't want the whole place to explode just because I didn't wait for you!" Letting out a final stomp, she sighed and decided to just let it go. "By the way, have you been getting this weird feeling?"

"Hm? What do you mean?"

"I mean..." Taking a look around, Konami gave an odd look. "There aren't as many people around as there should be."

"Now that you mention it... There weren't as many customers as there usually are."

Also taking a look around, Karasuma noticed some else.

It was a small thing that anyone would miss if they did not pay attention to their surroundings. In this case the two A-Rank Borders were aware of the area they were in with keen eyes.

"I know people don't usually crowd around the branches, but there are definitely more people than this."

"It's like the closer we get to the less people there are..."

Before the two could continue their conversation they heard a very loud screech from the sky that sounded like a loud, distorted bird call. They quickly looked up to see a moving speck in the sky.

Being too far from it they could not see exactly what it was. Karasuma pulled out his phone and zoomed in as much as he could on his camera. It was an odd creature that would not come into view due to the massive distance from the sky to the ground.

The two did take note of the odd angles that made it seem much more robotic in appearance than any type of bird flying around.

"Do you think it's a Neighbor?"

"We would have heard if a Gate opened up. Not to mention it's flying too high to launch any attacks."

"But if it can still throw out some bombs, right?"

"I'm not too sure. It might have done that already if it really had that intention."

Just as he said that, the speck in the sky seemed to stop moving for a moment. That was when it seemed to being an angular dive. The direction it was headed seemed to be towards the Tamakoma branch office.

Seeing that, the two pulled out their Triggers and got ready to activate them. They seemed to be the only ones around and the closest to branch office.

There was a moment between them that made them stop themselves from activating their Triggers. It seemed like the attack was going at full force when something flew up, directly towards the creature.

It was a person.

From what they could see it was a person using a Trigger. The height they were able to reach would be impossible otherwise. That meant it was someone affiliated with Border.

Yet neither Konami nor Karasuma could save for sure if they had ever seen the man before. His face could not be seen, even through the screen of the phone, making their identity that much harder to figure out.

The two watched closely as the person pulled out a blade from the sheath on his hip.

The person using Grasshopper and the speck in the sky finally met up in the air. The meeting was short as the person slashed right through the speck in the air, splitting it in two. The person started to descend in another direction, so the two still could not tell what they looked like.

They both started running towards the area where the two fallen parts of the speck in the air had landed.

When they got to the area, which was not too far away, they got a full look at what it was.

The speck in the air turned out to really be a Trion Soldier. The thing was that this was one neither of them had seen before.

The Trion Soldier had the general appearance of a falcon and the robotic look of a Trion Soldier with two massive wings having multiple rod-like objects coming off of the ends. It had two smaller wings near it bottom corners that were rectangular in shape. They got to the claws and saw that there were three on each foot that looked as sharp as any blade. The head, along with the body, was white with the face having three dots lining up at the bottom of the face and a single dot at the top of the face. They looked like lights. Finally, the core was in its mouth.

"What the hell is this thing? It's so...weird."

The two examined it from a safe distance, hands still holding tightly to their Triggers.

It was always better to be prepared.

"We should report this. But who was that person who could cut it so easily in half...? The cut is so clean that it had to be someone with experience."

"Konami. Kyōsuke. What happened here?"

Turning around the two saw Kizaki walking up to them. He seemed to have come in the jeep they had at the ready.

"That's what we were trying to figure out. This thing was flying over the city before dive bombing towards the base. We were going to stop it but someone else had gotten to it."

"Who? There is no one in this area who could have taken this down so easily."

"The guy looked sorta familiar, but we couldn't see much since we were using a phone to see what exactly was happening."

Kizaki looked over at the Trion Soldier with a serious look.

From having fought multiple Trion Soldiers it was easy to tell that this one was well made and would not be cut down by someone who did not know what they were doing. That meant it really had to be a high ranking member of Border.

Even if this made no sense due to the schedules of the Border agents who had duty during the day.

Things just continued to make little sense when he thought more about it all.

"Well, putting aside the person who took this thing down... We should start to move things away from the people to save some face for having it reach even this far."

Konami and Karasuma gave nods before going to do what was needed.

* * *

She hated the technology on Miden. She found that the strangest aspect of modern cell phones was the increase in the number of camera lenses. At least to her.

Not being use to phones, she thought it was pointless to have lens on the back of the phone for normal photography, lens on the front for showing yourself in a video conference, and extra pointless things like 3D photography and other features. At the current rate, it did not seem long before the entire phone would be covered in camera lenses like they were beads. It really was pointless. At least to her.

She felt like she was being watched as long as she had the phone in her hand.

A girl of about 15 was flipping her cell phone back and forth between front and back. She had medium-length blonde hair and white skin. She wore a primarily orange tank-top and miniskirt as well as thick boots that passed above her knees. On her head, she wore something like a crown that seemed like it was metal rather than some cheap plastic one you could find at a kid store.

With an expression that showed that the clearly multi-function cell phone was just too much for her, she spoke into the electronic device that she simply could not get used to.

"Yes, yes. I know it failed. Rise was my favorite ones, so of course I would know it failed. It really sucks. It seems they are planning to be more on the defensive now that they had been attacked. It looks like attacking one of the branches was unrealistic after all."

The way she spoke made it clear she was not used to speaking politely. Her tone of voice made it clear she was giving no thought to whether she was angering the person she was speaking to or what would happen to her if she did anger whoever it was. This was because she was skilled enough to avoid any danger coming her way.

She had a tongue so silver that it would be easy to convince the most skeptical of people believe they had won the lottery on their first try.

"Yes, yes. I understand that. The incident with the unknown variable was indeed bad, but the basics of the plan will fall apart if I were to really let that get to me. Well, we now have an idea as to how skilled they are and how serious they are. Also, they can be used as a positive factor from here on out. In the end, it is not a problem."

The humanoid Neighbor was simply saying whatever she could to pacify the person she was speaking to rather than logically analyzing the situation. It's not like she would get in trouble after all.

"Anyway, we just have to follow the plan now."

The Neighbor's eyebrows then moved slightly. She seemed to finally be showing interest in something the other person had said.

"Oh, really? I knew it. I had thought that was a little too convenient. So they are interfering."

The Neighbor's tone showed that she did not particularly mind.

"Well, thanks for that. When it was just me, I denied it, saying I was over thinking things. Having proof really is important. Proof is so much better than guesses. Yes, yes. I will do something about that, too. Bye."

She hung up, spun the phone around in her hand, and then stuck it in her pocket.

She shrugged and turned to the human-like soldier next to her. She took the drink on the tray it was holding and took a sip.

Behind her was a destroyed restaurant with the only things in it being her and the single soldier with a tray in it hands.

She enjoyed being with her creations.

* * *

Even here, Kotowari Takeshi wore his gray scarf.

The mall's mid level contained a main office, but that included a viewing platform, indoor pool, gym, and other facilities that were set up so there was no overlap with entertainers and production teams. The lower level was filled by high-class brand-name shops where one bought products, but the mid level was filled with movie theaters, beauty salons, restaurants, and other services that were consumed on site. Unlike the lower level, the Japanese-style construction included a focus on water here. For example, narrow waterways made from wooden troughs ran along the side of the corridors like the canals of Kyoto.

But these people were inside a café that took up the entire perimeter of the floor to provide a view of the area's dazzling night scenery.

It was built to provide a relaxing atmosphere, so the guests could set the aroma, music, light intensity, and light color in each individual partition. They could also rent massage chairs and footbaths. This was the type of café that made its money on the extra table fees instead of on their coffee.

Currently, Takeshi spoke while his chair vibrated for a massaging effect.

"Hoshi says she'll be here in another half hour."

"Oh? That's kinda fast for her," replied Toby Awdry, a boy with brown hair who sat at the same table.

He would occasionally breathe in from a clear mask attached to an oxygen tank and tilt his head as if wondering how it was supposed to be relaxing.

However, he did not stop there. He went on to hesitantly turn around.

"The real problem is all the shopping bags we've collected already."

"What? Hoshi-chan was the one who told us to honestly kill time until she got here," said Misaki Suzumebachi, the culprit, as she crossed her legs.

Toby gave an annoyed sigh.

"She just meant to wander around for a while! Why did you start buying a lot of stuff all of a sudden!?"

"Because I honestly have a card."

"I can't see how someone like her manages to be a Sniper!"

"Senpai, Dog, think about the other customers."

However, the other two agents were not the type to listen to Takeshi.

"And what is this!? You have pair after pair of identical pumps!"

"You can't tell the difference between El Asine and White Snake? Are you honestly my grandfather?"

"Shut up, Miss Celebrity! I'm the one that's super mad right now!"

"No matter what Senpai buys, she always breaks the heels off so she can move better as soon as she gets into a fight. Rather, when starts fighting with Narasaka-senpai."

"That's why the El Asine twin heels have a hinge. The heels fold down when you need to move."

"Then you don't need the heels in the first place! Wear some flat sneakers already! ...Honestly, if we weren't paying attention, you'd buy an apartment with that card."

"Are you trying to say it's all on me? It's all my fault?"

"Senpai, don't use Ibis here."

"Yeah, it is your fault. And who's going to carry that pile of bags? What a pain! This is why I suggested we should go see a movie to kill some time."

Takeshi breathed out through his nose and let his eyes wander.

They had ordered a goldfish tank as an option and it calmed his heart to see the red things fluttering around.

Meanwhile, Suzume gave a mocking shrug.

"A movie? You honestly mean that one where they strap you in your seat for twenty-four hours straight!? That is not some time! At a full day, that's pretty much imprisonment!"

"Hypnos is an experimental visual experience that works in the visions you see when you're woozy from sleep deprivation! This is the problem with people who feel like talking about movies without doing any research."

"Honestly sounds like a D movie."

"You damn casual! That's not even a real classification!"

The situation quickly devolved into chaos.

They constantly called her their newest member, but Hoshi had rapidly become the grease needed to keep Kotowari Squad running smoothly and without fights.


	2. Adult - Children_at_Play

Hoshi let out a giggle as Wakamura finished telling a joke.

It was not amusing one but she laughed regardless.

The two were walking down the street with a line of stores on either side of them. They did not pay attention to that as they just happily spend the time focusing on each other and not bothering to worry about their next round.

That being said, they did not notice that even with all the store around them, there was hardly anyone around. Only a few amount of people were going in or out of stores with only two or three people just walking on the street like them.

This was a strange thing that was happening at multiple areas of Mikado City yet these two B-Rank Border agents did not seem to notice at all.

"Ah! I'll be right back. I'm getting a little thirsty. Would you like something to drink as well?"

"Here. Let me get you something."

"Ah! N-no! It's fine!"

The two continued the light argument with smiles on their faces as they walked over to a line of vending machines.

That was when they noticed something.

"Urg..."

Someone was leaning up against a column with a hand in the center of their flat chest. It was difficult for the two to figure out of they were a boy or a girl. Either way, the person's cheeks were red and they were gasping for breath. There were also large beads of sweat on their forehead, suggesting they had just completed some heavy exercise.

"A-ah! Hey, are you okay? If it's too stuffy over here, you should go rest on the benches over there."

"Hm~… I-I'm…I'm T-Ten…"

"Calm down. There are some vending machines right here. I know it seems wrong to have to spend 140 yen on water, but why not get something to drink before trying to talk?"

With Wakamura saying that, Hoshi grabbed the person's warm hand and the person followed them with their head lowered.

The three of them left the area filled with brand-name shops and arrived at the line of vending machines. There, Hoshi brought out some money and got something from the vending machine without thinking.

She bought a bottle of mineral water that was known for how addicting it could be. Regardless, she handed the bottle to the…

Are they...a boy or a girl...?

The person took the clear bottle, removed the cap, and wrapped their hands around it. Gulping sounds soon followed.

Wakamura crossed his arms as the girl drank her water that was kindly bought for her.

"If you're going to drink that much then maybe you should go and get a check-up. It's not really hot out now, but it can still get to someone."

"Phew... Thanks."

They let out a gentle sigh. Even after a few gulps, they did not cough anything back up, so the two agents decided it was not too serious.

The person held the plastic bottle in both hands and looked over at the line of vending machines in order to avoid looking at the two. They noticed that no one was really around, but didn't comment on it.

"You don't need to worry about me. I'm not suffering from heat stroke or dehydration."

"It would be nice if that was something people could be so sure of."

"It's true. I'm sweating because I was running. ...Honestly, I was looking for someone, but I ended up having to run away from a large crowd of people that seemed like they were in a rush."

"Someone? Run away?"

Wakamura's tone dropped a bit, so the girl frantically waved a hand in front of her face and shook her head.

"A-anyway! That was only because I dislike hurting people! I could easily cut through them all, but I really, really don't like hurting people!"

"..."

"You're doubting me, aren't you!? I may not look it, but I'm an A-Rank Border agent, Tenryū Aonegai!"

Aonegai stared at the two with a small blush on her face. She hadn't even noticed that the two hadn't introduced themselves.

Not seeming to be shocked, Hoshi spoke up.

"Oh, so you're an A-Rank. Does that mean you are from a Border in a different country?"

"Eh? What?"

"You don't seem like the type to arrogantly talk about everything you can do, so I guess it doesn't matter. …More importantly, what was that about running away?" Wakamura pushed his glasses up as if he didn't care about the rank.

"…"

Oh, no.

The person calming to be an A-Rank, "Tenryū Aonegai", froze when the two didn't seem to react like she wanted.

"Oh, right. I guess it's rude not to introduce myself." Wakamura gave a slight bow while saying, "I'm Wakamura Rokurō. Nice to meet you, Tenryū-san."

"Hello. I am Taiyōko Hoshi."

"Huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!?"

"Tenryū Aonegai" fell onto her butt as soon as he heard that name.

Unable to get up, she slid back along the floor.

"Um…?"

"T-Taiyōko-san?" she asked in a trembling voice. "Y-you mean from the Taiyōko family!? The family of soldiers so strong that just a single glare from them will make anyone shit their pants in fright!?"

"..."

"..."

"..."

Hoshi looked down with a sad expression, making the girl start to panic a bit and Wakamura trying to comfort his friend. He did give a small glare to the other girl though.

"It's not like that... Our parents were soldiers... We are a part of Border, but... We won't hurt people..."

"Wait... You are in Border!?"

Oh crap! Oh crap! Oh crap! Oh crap! These two are actually in Border! What the hell am I suppose to do now!? I'm so not prepared for this!

While Aonegai was having a small inner freak out, both Hoshi and Wakamura looked at each other for the answer as to why she had suddenly gone quiet as if she was a robot in sleep mode.

"Um... Tenryū-san... Are you okay?"

Hoshi tapped the girl on the shoulder, making her jump and in turn making both B-Rank agents jump as well.

"Don't scare me like that!"

"Ah! I should be saying that!"

"Look! Just because you have the right sized boobs doesn't mean you can yell at me!"

"R-right sized...!?" Covering her breasts, Hoshi took a step closer to Wakamura. "I just wanted to know if you were alright. You looked like you were in a daze."

"A daze?"

"Yeah. You looked like you completely shut down," Wakamura said, trying to clear things up. "She was just worried about you."

"Really!? I am so sorry then!"

Seeing the girl give a deep bow, the two B-Rank agents couldn't help but to think the girl was a little crazy. They didn't comment on it though out of respect as a person.

The two had met some odd people around Mikado City, some of which they had to work with. Someone who was like this did not mean too much when compared to those people.

Even so, they were kind enough to overlook all the oddity from this person.

"Hey... I am sorry to bother you two. You seem like you were on a date-"

"What!?"

"-but I would like to know if there happens to be any underground passage ways here. I'm trying to familiarize myself with the city while I'm here. I've seen enough to be amazed by this place, compared to others. If it wouldn't be too much of a problem... Hm? Something wrong?"

Aonegai tilted her head once she saw that both Wakamura and Hoshi had gone red. Even Wakamura's glasses had started to get foggy.

It was strange since there seemed to be nothing to be embarrassed about.

"U-um... Senzai...san..."

"Huh? I can't really hear you."

Finally getting his wits about him, Wakamura cleared up his glasses as well as his throat. He turned back to her with a straight face, yet still a bit red.

"She's saying that Senzai Senshi knows the underground rather well. He is another member of Border. Red hair, work goggles and usually a plain expression. You can ask him for anything concerning underground passages."

"I see. Thank you very much. I will do my best to find him. Well... You two have fun on your date."

Aonegai made a quick dash out of the area, not noticing that Hoshi and Wakamura were once more red.

She had wondered if the two would be curious as to why she was asking for underground passages but found that they were too busy being red for no reason.

That worked for her.

* * *

To sum it up, she was lost.

Misaki Mitsubachi glanced around the scenery of Mikado City. She remembered as far as leaving the large building with Stepney, thinking that Kitora and Satori were following them, but that was it. The next thing she knew, Satori and Kitora were gone and the Border base was nowhere to be found.

"Seriously. Getting lost at his age. I guess we should seriously find them at some point," announced Mitsubachi while striking a daunting pose along a street lit up by decorative lights.

The one who was actually lost was not aware of her own situation.

"Hey, Mitsubachi... We should get back to Big Sis Ai and Mr. Satori. I don't think that they will be happy when they can't find us."

"Where's your sense of adventure? Those two can find us whenever they want. Besides, I seriously live in this city. I seriously know where everything is."

Misaki Mitsubachi's house was in the western part of the city which was where a lot of people lived.

But she was currently in East.

She did not often travel between the city and the areas, and when she did, she was usually being led through thecrowds while holding Suzume's clothes. She did not have enough information to get home on her own. The human homing instinct was amazingly good at guiding drunks home, but the initial settings required for that homing instinct to function had never been inputted into Mitsubachi.

Stepney on the other hand had no idea where anything was in the city. This was the first time he had ever been to Japan so everything was new to him.

"Seriously, I am hungry...but I cannot just abandon Ken-chan while he is lost. I need to carry out my role as the big sister and go find him! Stepney, you'll help me, right?"

"Of course I will. I need to get back to Big Sis Ai."

As the two children put all their energy into making that mistaken decision, they looked over at a map of the area posted nearby.

But that map was hardly going to tell them where Satori and Kitora were, plus they did not even know where they were. Nevertheless, Mitsubachi nodded twice as if it had told her all she needed to know.

And then she made another announcement.

"If we seriously walk in a big circle around this area, we are sure to run into them!"

She seemed to think that was the fastest way to cover the wide area of the eastern side, but it was no better than when someone lost in the forest of Aokigahara thought it would be best to just head in one direction. If that was all it took, getting lost would not be such a big deal. Also, Mitsubachi had not seen what the scale of that map was.

And so Misaki Mitsubachi the missile girl looked away from the map and took her first step.

And in that first step, she collided with someone.

"Ssssssss!"

"(Wh-what? What?. ...Ah!? I found a lost child!)"

Stepney was quick to check and see if the two were alright.

Then he translated what the other girl had said as they fell.

"I-I am not a lost child! Seriously! I am the big sister!"

The two girls received a great collection of scathing comments over the area, a group of people had seen what happened and spoke in hushed tones or simply thought to themselves, but neither the girl aware of those comments or the one unaware of them paid them any heed.

The girl named Michelle looked up and down Mitsubachi and then puffed out her chest triumphantly despite being shorter than the girl.

"(You leave me no choice. As the one who is familiar with things, I will help you.)"

At some point Stepney had taken a backset to this and decided to simply translate the fluent German coming from the girl's mouth.

"I seriously do not remember asking for help from someone who proudly puts her hands on her hips over being smaller! Don't make fun of me!"

"(I can tell you are a child from how you are trying to stand on your tiptoes. A true adult yearns for youth.)"

Michelle spoke as if she knew what she was talking about.

Mitsubachi than stuck her index finger out towards Michelle and shouted out loud enough for everyone on the street to hear as if she was playing her greatest trump card.

"I wear a bra!"

"(Wha-!?)"

Stepney made a sound with his mouth to create a lightning sound effect behind Michelle to complement her shock. Meanwhile, Mitsubachi seemed to feel like she had lost for having to use her greatest trump card, so she desperately continued speaking.

"And I already choose my own bras! I know the sexy underwear department like the back of my hand! I am seriously on a fundamentally different level from a child like you!"

"(I-I can't let you get away with that. That was a challenge to my genetic characteristics!)"

"You're just a kid!"

"(What was that, you child!?)"

"You are in luck, lost child. I will take you home!"

"(You're the lost one, so that is my line!)"

Stepney was not sure how these two girls, who had just met by bumping into each other, had ended up getting along so well.

It may have been because of his outside view that he was able to see the smiles on their faces as they yelled at each other in different languages. It was not a serious fight but one that they may have seen happen from time-to-time from older women. That may have been why he saw no reason to interrupt them and their squabble.

An advertisement for a local travel show played on the large screen of a blimp floating overhead in the sky.

"An adult woman must not be at a loss regarding how to entertain an unexpected guest. This week on Informed Ladies, we are having a special on the hidden top-rate restaurants in Mikado City that do not require a reservation! For details, tune in to the urban channel on your cable TV!"

"..."

"..."

Misaki Mitsubachi and Michelle stared up into the sky for a bit.

And then they looked back down to look at each other and made an announcement with surprising synchronization.

"We'll see who is more informed by heading around to the famous restaurants of Mikado City!"

"(We'll see who is more informed by heading around to the famous restaurants of Mikado City!)"

Once the two girls' thoughts jumped directly to that idea, Satori being lost and anything else were completely gone from their minds!

* * *

At some point both Takaoto Mei and Taiyōko Kushikage had left their group to go off and do their own things. That may have been why it was quiet enough for Mukuro to think at the moment. Or at least quiet enough to listen to the other loudmouth he had with him.

Dealing with children was never his strong suit.

"Why were we sent here again? And why did Hoshi-chan and Yuki-san get to stay?"

Mukuro did not need to turn around to know that Kazekiri had a look of irritation on his face. The tone alone was enough to give everything away.

Mukuro let out a tired sigh as he walked in front of the two C-Rank Border agents. Behind them was a single B-Rank agent. The four were currently looking for the two missing people, but had no luck.

He tried to call them multiple times, but no one seemed to answer. He figured they were either busy fighting or just not paying attention.

"...We came here because Uncle... ...Boss said that he needed us to check on something..."

"Did he even say what we needed to check on? This place seems fine enough, and Mikado City is taking almost all of the Neighbors. There really shouldn't be a reason to send us over."

"Kaze, just be quiet. You should be happy that Akasora-san trusted enough for this. Don't forget that, unlike Shobu, we two are still C-Rank. This is just for experience if anything else. Besides, he had only told the A-Ranks what exactly we are suppose to look for."

"Hey, Mukuro! What are we suppose to be looking for!?"

"Currently, Kushi-nee and Fuji-nee-san. Leaving those two alone for too long will end with this city's destruction."

"I can't be that bad."

"...It can..."

Both Kazekiri and Kirisame kept quiet in the topic after that. They trusted the soft spoken boy enough to know that he wouldn't lie. This also made them want to find the two girls now since they didn't want to see the city destroyed by the two.

As the four continued to walk, the two louder ones looked around in awe since this was the first time they had been outside of Mikado City, so it was fascinating to them.

So much so that they didn't notice they were lagging behind the other two until they both ran into someone.

They both stared up and saw a man looking down on them.

Kazekiri quickly jumped up and got in a defensive stance.

"H-h-hey! Just because you're t-tall, that doesn't mean y-you can be in the way!"

"Kaze, your stuttering isn't helping! This guy can just step on you anyways! Back away!"

The man just stood there, looking down at the two. He had an intimidating expression on his face, but really he thought he had a plain expression.

"Sorry... I didn't mean to be in the way..."

The two jumped up and turned back to him once they realized he had said something. They gave different reactions with Kaze looking up at him with the kind of look you would get from a barking chihuahua while Ame was just looking a little nervous.

"... Kaze... Ame...!"

The three turned to see Mukuro and Shobu walk up to them.

Shobu got to the two then noticed the man towering over them. He quickly hid behind Ame while looking down at the ground.

"Hey! Don't go scaring Shobu!"

Letting out a sigh, Mukuro hit Kaze on the head before turning to the man and giving a small bow.

"I'm sorry if these two were bugging you."

"It's fine..."

Getting a good look at the man, Mukuro saw how...odd he looked. He was a tall man, probably around seven feat with short, grassy-like gray hair and an intimidating look. His choice in clothes was also odd with a mix of different clothing ranging from a sleeveless Chinese shirt to the American jacket on. It may have looked odd, but it seemed to also fit the man's appearance better than if someone else wore it.

Just as Mukuro was going to tell the three that they were leaving, Shobu walked forward and looked at the man with a calm expression.

This was also odd since Shobu was just cowering from the man a few seconds ago. Not to mention he only gave that calm look when with someone he knows well.

"Excuse me. I am really sorry if my friends had been a bother to you." After Shobu gave a deep bow he looked up at the tall man with an almost dull look. "I am Tenryū Shokubutsu. Hello."

"Hello... I am...Pyrínas."

"...If you wouldn't mind answering a question..."

"Yes...? What is it...?"

The two 15 year olds felt something odd while they watched this. It had taken a lot from them to have their friend talk to them as casually as he did, which wasn't much, so it made them feel a little mad at the guy.

Meanwhile Mukuro got ready to do something if the man tried anything against Shobu.

He may seem lanky and tired all the time, but he is from a family of soldiers. Meaning he was on alert when someone as tall and menacing as this guy was stood in front of his charges. He figured that if he could talk Minoru down, who was strong in both his real body and Trion body, then this guy could be taken down as well.

"...How tall are you...?"

"7 feet..."

* * *

Mitsubachi, Michelle and Stepney arrived at the northeastern area of Mikado City.

It bordered where they had been, so it was not difficult to reach, but the area they were in was well known for having poor public order. There were stories of deliverymen going out of their way to avoid passing through the district on the way to their destination. That type of rumor remained even during peaceful times, so it was immediately obvious it was no place for two little girls and a little boy during the day when everyone had thrown out any restraint.

If the situation was given the tagline "I will use any means necessary to save those two girls and that boy who have wandered into the dangerous area!", it would probably make a decent independent action film for a film studies group.

However, they all seemed shared a certain characteristic.

They were a bit oblivious when it came to their own danger right now.

"Heh hehhn. That parking garage over there is seriously Mikado City's famous Food Stand Spire!"

"(I-I knew that too!)"

"It's fine. Everyone has been saying something or other about this place. Even Mr. Arashiyama has said something about this place."

"Then do you seriously know what the most popular restaurant in the Food Stand Spire is?"

The simplest way of describing it was a parking garage filled with nothing but large vans and RVs. Seats and tables for customers were also set up, so the parking space was not full, but the one building still contained somewhere between 400 and 500 restaurants.

The parking garage was not airtight, but it still had an excessive number of vents and air ducts to allow the exhaust to escape. The building itself was lit by irregularly placed LED light bulbs and altogether gave off an aura of handmade junk.

The scene of all the stands lined up had no uniformity to it. It mainly gave a motley and dirty impression. Also, the area was well known for having the worst public order of any area. Dyed hair and shaved heads were the norm. The customers viewed scars and tattoos like normal people viewed glasses and contact lenses.

Arashiyama had something abut this area in order to warn Stepney to no go near it. That part may have ended up going a bit over his head as he was looking around the operating room.

Simply put, it felt like it would be game over for the children within 5 seconds of setting foot inside the building. But...

"Huh? What are some kids doing here?"

"Oh, c'mon, old man! You can't put a place like this in a pamphlet! What if those harmless little kids end up getting mugged!?"

"You two over here! I'll give you each a free boiled egg if you act as their bodyguards!"

"It has to be a long way to their home, but at least keep an eye on them until they reach a large station."

Surprisingly, most of the people seemed to be neither enemy nor ally.

It was thanks to the following ironclad rule of delinquents:

You have to be nice to cats abandoned in the rain and to little kids!

"The lineup of restaurants should seriously change as we go up floors."

"(Yes, yes. The lower floors closest to the entrance draw the most customers and have the more popular junk food, and the higher floors draw fewer customers but make a living by catering to more specific tastes.)" Michelle raised her index finger. "(But there is one restaurant that draws a lot of people despite being on those upper floors. I've been told this kind of stuff from Border agents here.)"

The parking garage had an elevator, but it did not have several of them like a department store or hotel. Since the customers were bound to get into fights if they had to wait in line for the elevator, it was banned from use. For that reason, the three children followed the other customers' lead and walked up several gentle slopes as they headed for the very top floor.

As they headed up, the food for sale no longer focused on appealing to everyone just as Michelle had explained. By the time they reached the top floor, restaurants like a coffee shop that's owner wore a tailcoat and a Kaiseki stand run by a young woman in a kimono were not unusual. However, these shops were so incredibly cheap that it was hard to enjoy them without growing somewhat suspicious.

But the children were completely oblivious to this.

The three headed to the center of the top floor with Mitsubachi primarily taking the lead.

There they found a certain stand.

The stand was made out of a small modified truck, but it did not have a kitchen space inside like all the other stands did. Some basic camping gear was spread out around the truck and the cooking was done in that open space. It was a popular restaurant, but it currently had plenty of empty seats due to lucky timing on the kids' part.

The stand had only one cook, but he was accompanied by three girls who looked like they knew nothing of cooking or the service industry. After spending a month in the area, it would be obvious they were hired to carry out dirty jobs in the name of being bodyguards.

But as previously stated, the children were oblivious.

One of those bodyguards had something in her mouth with a blinking bluish-white LED on the end. It looked like a nicotine free electronic cigarette, but it was actually something much more suspicious. The three small children ignored the bodyguard as she put the item back in its case and they approached the lone cook. They pushed aside a few tables and chairs as they approached.

Mitsubachi said, "Seriously give me the usual!"

"...The usual? I've never seen you before. Also, you should try not to say that around this district. You'll get caught up in some illicit transaction."

The cook's voice was low and flat so as not to show any emotion.

Michelle sat down in one of the camping chairs and looked around while Stepney decided to stay by her side, in case he was needed again by either girl.

"Seriously, what kind of restaurant is this?"

"Chinese."

"Seriously. I don't see any Chinese people here."

"In this country, salt butter ramen and mild chili oil qualifies as Chinese cooking."

Mitsubachi also sat in a chair, but retained her I-am-older expression.

"I knows that this restaurant has no menu. I seriously know the hidden truth. After all, this restaurant only serves one thing! I will even point my finger for extra emphasis!"

"Only one kind of food maybe," muttered one of the bodyguards and one of the other girls stomped on her foot.

With expressionless eyes, the cook said, "Well, I'll make anything so long as you pay."

He then opened the lid of a silver stockpot and stuck a giant fork-like tool inside.

Michelle's nose twitched and she frowned at the oddly sweet smell.

"(...What do they sell here?)"

"Giant pieces of meat," Mitsubachi answered immediately, puffing out her chest meaninglessly. "They seriously have the ridiculously giant pieces of meat you only see in manga! Even through I have never seen it myself..."

"(Y-you admitted you have never seen it!)"

And then exactly what Mitsubachi had described appeared.

The plate was large enough for an entire family-size pizza but it had no side dishes on it. It contained nothing but a ridiculously huge chashu cutting horizontally across the giant plate. Its width was about a size larger than a store-bought jelly roll.

Mitsubachi had the expression of someone whose improvised attempt at speaking a foreign language had actually gotten through overseas.

"See!? I seriously told you! Hey, hey, hey! Stepney, tell her I told her! I was right!"

Doing as he was asked, Stepney translated exactly what Mitsubachi had said.

"(...It looks like a chashu, but it has a somewhat sweet smell. Also, the outside seems crunchy. Is this the same thing you put on ramen?)"

"Those are specifically made to go well with Japanese ramen. They are too greasy to eat plain," replied the cook who was opening a sports newspaper now that his job was done.

Michelle looked puzzled.

"(Th-then do you use a knife and fork…?)"

"Tsk, tsk tsk."

Mitsubachi wiggled her finger for extra effect.

"(If you keep acting like a know-it-all I will dump chashu sauce all over your clothes.)"

"Wait, wait! I will give you a proper explanation, so wait! I beg you to seriously stop!" Mitsubachi frantically brought up her hands in a meaningless defense. "I said this is like the giant pieces of meat in manga, right? Just double checking. Do you ever see them elegantly using a knife and fork to eat their ridiculous pieces of meat!? That is an important question!"

"But then, how do you eat it?"

It was Stepney who had asked the question this time.

Mitsubachi explained with her actions.

She grabbed both ends of the giant piece of meat with her hands and started chowing down on the middle portion.

The instant she did, time seemed to stop for Michelle and Stepney as their basic knowledge of the world crumbled around them.

And then Michelle opened her mouth to speak as her instincts welled up within her.

"(It's just like in manga! It's manga meat!)"

"Didn't I seriously tell you?"

"(I see. So this was mammoth meat...)"

Despite being slightly mistaken, Michelle began eating her own giant piece of meat.

That was when the two girls noticed that the third member of their party was simply looking at his large piece of meat as if he would get in trouble for simply being near it.

Mitsubachi was the one to speak up, seeing as how Michele had puffed cheeks due to taking a bite.

"Stepney, aren't you seriously going to eat?"

"H-huh? Oh! Um... I don't...want to get in trouble... My parents...they might be mad if I get any of this on my clothes... Even worse if it gets on my skin... S-so you two can go ahead and eat! I will have something else later on."

As if on cue, a loud growing sound was heard.

Stepney went red while the two girls looked towards him.

"You seriously can't hide that from us. You are hungry and I won't eat until you do! If your parents get mad then I will seriously give them a piece of my mind!"

Michelle, seeing Mitsubachi cross her arms and refuse to eat, followed suit. She had gotten the gist of what was going on by using her Side Effect to read the mind of the older girl. While she had just met these two, Stepney had been nice to them both and translated what they were saying. She would not let him go hungry just because he could get in trouble.

Stepney looked from the girls down to his piece of meat.

Knowing that the two girls were stubborn on what they doing he slowly went for the meat.

He grabbed the meat with both hands, feeling just how squishy it was. The feeling was nice, but now it was time to know what it tased like.

"(Hm... It's so good!)"

The two girls did not know what he said since it was said in English, but they got it enough to know he was happy about eating the meat. That was enough for them to start eating once more.

* * *

In the tunnel system right under Mikado City sat a single person. Well it was wrong to call them a person. In reality they were a Trion Soldier that looked exactly like a person. The soldier was a tall man with gray hair.

He was typing something on, what seemed to be, a laptop for a few seconds before closing the device.

"#7, hurry up and get back over here. Make sure to transform back into Beetle form. We are about to start and we need everyone ready. If you are not back in five minutes then you will be dismantled and recreated. Do you understand?"

The Trion Soldier let out a sigh as a response come through to the other end.

Something had been set in motion the moment they had landed on this world. While it did not seem as advanced as other ones they had seen, it was different. Their technological advances concerning Trion was further behind then any other place. Yet the stuff they did have, that did not rely on Trion, was truly amazing.

That was good enough for them to stay awhile.

Their leader had already determined what they would do in order to gain an alliance with this world. Even if that was the case, this Trion Soldier had other things in mind.

For these things to realized he would need as much of his own help as possible. He could only rely on himself for something like this. That was exactly what he was going to do.

"We still need Trion to even leave. To maintain us it takes even more. To continue researching requires even more. For that we have come to the conclusion that obtaining resources for Trion usage is the best option."

He spoke to himself, yet to a multitude of others. Everything he said was processed by him and no one else, yet multiple others processed the exact same thought. A connection was always open to on him, yet others were also connected to him.

He would rely on himself and no one else. No on else except those others.

"This is Pyrínas serial number 0. Pyrínas serial numbers one through seven are to locate the two large Trion sources and obtain them. We will be using them to maintain everything that the Wanderers are about. Even if our leader is to hate us for it. Understood?"

A single answer came from multiple others.

All that was needed was himself and no one else.

That was why multiple others were now on the move.

"Right. So next would be the issue of that person lingering down this tunnel."

* * *

Within the same area as a Trion Soldier, "Tenryū Aonegai," stood near the entrance to a subway station holding her head. It seemed to be abandoned, yet others still walked by it.

So this underground way is probably where whatever it is is hiding. I should be careful to not gain the attention of Border.

Even then, she could remember the smooth and deep voice telling her what to do, but Aonegai's thoughts were turning in the direction of wanting to finish things off already.

The stairway into the subway area was surrounded on three sides by walls. It was almost midday and the time for the sun to be high up must have been nearing because a large number of company workers and drunks were walking just above the closed off stairway. Under it all, Aonegai was leaning against one of the walls focusing on the meter long bag hanging on her back.

"...At the very least, I need to stop this single one. All I can do is wait for Seidō-san to contact me. The real problem is that we don't know where it will be until the last second. Having to ad lib everything due to the unknown destination makes this difficult."

She sighed and folded her arms as she watched the company workers walk by. Amid the men, she caught sight of the occasional teenager. The young looks stood out among the older workers. Her eye was naturally drawn to them and, once the number of shorter people grew to 8 or 9, she realized that everyone around the stairs were wearing distinctive uniforms.

"...!?"

Having been surrounded, Aonegai looked to the bag on her back. One boy stepped forward from the group of workers and approached Aonegai.

"We are from Border. Do you understand?" The boy, Sasamori Hisato, spoke in a manner similar to a police officer.

Despite the fact that they were still amid the crowd of passersby, he was already wielding a green blade.

In response to that introduction that only those on that path would understand, Aonegai pulled the edges of her lips up in a smile with her arms still folded.

"...So you've already made it this far?"

"Agents who use Chameleon are use to blending in, so finding someone like you who doesn't belong is actually easier than you think. To me, you stand out the most."

"I see. So you've been looking at me? I guess Border just let's in whoever they want."

"We will have you accompany us to the base. The reason I'm saying this is so that we don't run the risk of someone getting involved."

"Whatever."

Aonegai unfolded her arms and put her hands in her pockets. In a motion much like throwing a fast ball, she went into action.

"Until I know where that person is..."

With set up already, Aonegai stuck the tip of her foot into a small hole on the ground.

"I have no intention of being captured!"

She kicked a piece of the ground into the air and grabbed it with one hand. Using that motion as a sign, Sasamori unreservedly struck with his blade. He was aiming to slice off Aonegai's head to end it quickly.

A roar of sliced air resounded. But Aonegai's Trion body was not torn.

This was due to the bag hanging from her shoulder. In response to her will, it tore from the inside and she swung the weapon inside horizontally. The weapon was a long metal pole with five blades stuck on the end. It struck Sasamori's blade causing the two to be pushed back.

"...!?"

Along with the blow the two had made, the people up the stairs pulled out their own weapons. Aonegai was surrounded by different Trion-made weapons, but she still smiled fearlessly. She put even more strength into the hand holding her weapon.

She swung her weapon by rotating her entire body.

Sasamori stood at the ready, but the attack was not aimed for any of the other agents. Aonegai destroyed the concrete wall she had been leaning up against previously.

The stairway down to the subway was surrounded by walls on three sides and Aonegai's intentions in smashing the wall like a biscuit were clear.

She was going to flee.

Sasamori let out a frustrated breath as he attacked with his blade. However, his strike did not pierce Aonegai's body. Aonegai had already gone with the rubble down into the subway station the stairway connected to.

"Hisato!"

"I know! Hanzaki, you and everyone else guard the entrances and exits!" Sasamori yelled in response to his colleague and ran down to the subway station. He didn't really use the stairs. Instead, he just jumped down to the lower floor all at once.

When he landed, he stuck a hand out and a cube of Trion appeared. He started firing around.

He didn't usually have a Shooter-type Trigger in any of his slots, but it was suggested to him by Hanzaki and Taichi, so he had placed Asteroid in one of his open slots.

Hearing that noise from the shots, the passerby's fled from the closed off entrance. They must have thought there was a terrorist or a gunman. Before long, all the panicked people had left the area.

Hanzaki and the others are watching the customer exits. If the girl is still in the area, we don't have to worry about getting civilians involved now.

Sasamori moved his hand to the side and raised his blade again. As a Border agent and B-Rank agent, he was determined to win this fight so that they could get somewhere in this.

He ran down a fairly long passageway with ticket machines and automatic ticket gates at the end. Sasamori jumped over a ticket gate as if it were a hurdle and continued running to the platform.

He arrived right when Aonegai was about to climb down from the empty platform. She was most likely thinking of running directly into the tunnel.

Sasamori's and Aonegai's gazes clashed.

"...!"

"...!?"

In that instant, Aonegai made the first move.

Holding the ground in one hand, she gave a large swing of the 5-bladed weapon that was a spear. She was throwing the sign it was stabbed into.

The sign flew more than 10 meters until it was sliced to pieces by Sasamori's Kōgetsu.

Aonegai moved the lever on the lower portion of the grip and the four blades opened and closed like human fingers.

Sasamori held out the tip of his blade and carefully estimated the distance between them.

As he did, Aonegai spun the weapon around and struck the floor of the platform with the four-bladed tip. The four blades sunk into the tile floor.

With the Trion weapon still stuck into the floor, she swung it forward with all her strength. Like a golf club hitting a bunker, a large amount of small fragments flew toward Hisato.

"...!

Sasamori dodged the barrage that went by and then charged in. But Aonegai spun the weapon around in one hand like a tree branch and immediately attacked.

She trusted the spear forward just as one if the blades exploded.

With a loud blast, Hisato's body was blown to the side. The bottoms of his shoes slid along the ground as he tried to slow himself down and Aonegai jumped up. At about a meter up, she curled up her legs and thrust in rotating vertically.

She was still holding the Trion weapon and, as before, it was looking like it was going to explode.

"Not good! And that thing's bad enough with her arm strength alone...!"

For an instant, Sasamori brought his blade up to block out of reflex, but then he relaxed his muscles and jumped to the side. It was just too much force to block. Meanwhile, Aonegai rotated twice in midair and used centrifugal force to swing down the Trion weapon. Her enhanced arm strength caused the floor of the subway station to explode like a volcano.

Sasamori had avoided a direct hit, but his body flew spinning through the air.

He had been hit by some of the explosion.

Even so, he did not fall to the ground. Like a figure skater who had failed a jump, he landed on the tips of his toes. Aonegai swung her weapon to the side towards Sasamori.

Sasamori had already lost his balance, so he couldn't move back any further.

The large explosion had gotten him more than before..

"!"

Having received a direct hit that time, Sasamori's body was thrown to the ground and then knocked a good distance back. The blade he had in his hand known as Kōgetsu spun through the air and stabbed into the ground right next to Sasamori's cracked face.

Aonegai leaned the weapon up against her shoulder with the other hand.

"Looks like this is over. We can go on if you like, but I'll be using more powerful attacks from now on."

As she spoke, she gave a regretful look towards Sasamori, as if she truly did not want to fight him.

"That was a nice try, but I'm the stronger one here. Don't think that just because we just got here that we don't know how to deal others. I am really sorry about all of this, though, since we only want to escape."

Sasamori let out a loud grunt, but he did not stand up.

Aonegai fixed her position before speaking again.

"Know you almost be good people. That's why I just need to deal with someone so we can finally leave. Don't hold it against us."

Aonegai placed a blue plate on the ground before stepping on it and going through a hole she had created.

"..."

Sasamori remained motionless for a bit.

Finally, he got up and started to contact the other agents.

* * *

Misaki Mitsubachi awoke while riding on Satori Ken's back.

"Mnyah...Ah!? Ken-chan, where have you been all this time! We seriously can't have you getting lost like that!"

"Ow! Don't pull on my hair! And a 7 year old who disappeared for hours and went to sleep on a plaza bench has no room to lecture me! You even left Awdry to watch over you!"

Mitsubachi had been sleeping in front of a station in a part of Mikado City whereas her house was in the western area. Normally, they would have used the train to cross the city, but Satori and the others were still walking through the area.

The girl walking next to Satori had pink hair, Sthénos, let her gaze wander blankly around the area until it landed on an airship with a giant screen on it.

"...Satorin, that says the trains still are not running."

"So did some animal really get loose?"

Next to Sthénos was Stepney Awdry, looking up at Mitsubachi. He had been left in charge to watch over her while she took a nap at the station.

There should have been one more child there yet Mitsubachi could not see her anywhere around. She was going to ask about the other girl but stopped when Satori and Sthénos continued speaking.

"I had us following the tracks as we walked, but at this rate we're going to reach the western area before the trains are back up and running."

"I haven't seen any buses either."

"I think they've intentionally reduced the number of buses running. That way people are more likely to stop by schools along the way."

But then Mitsubachi let out a strange voice from his back.

"I'm seriously hungry!"

"I'm sure your sister is going to be mad, so shouldn't you be more focused on coming up with an excuse? Then again, she'll probably be mad at us too. She'll probably be super mad at us."

"But food!"

"But Mitsubachi, we just had that meat. How are you still hungry?"

Satori was hoping to take off the edge of her hunger at some food stall, but there was none around at the moment.

He felt like they were losing out, but they ended up heading to a gyudon restaurant that served breakfast meals.

"I want roast salmon! For toppings, I want grated yam, natto, seaweed salad, jumbo grated radish, a small bowl of pickled vegetables, mango, and pudding...!"

"Mitsu-chan, you're supposed to choose only one topping."

Stepney quickly ordered a sukiyaki-style gyudon while Sthénos, being an Autonomous Trion Soldier did not need to eat.

When Mitsubachi saw the small bowl the worker brought out, her eyes opened wide.

"That's tiny! What a pitiful woman!"

"Mh."

"The idea of girls not eating much is seriously just an illusion! It's obvious you're putting up with an empty stomach to preserve your image!"

"...Satorin, I need to perform an iron claw on that brat, so scoot over."

As Satori restrained the pink haired girl in the busy restaurant, Mitsubachi looked over to Stepney, ready to ask what had happened to Michelle.

"She said she needed to look for someone she knows. Apparently she had gotten separated from someone and wanted to try to get to them again. We agreed that I would stay with you so that there was someone watching out while you slept."

"I see, I see, I see. That's seriously nice of you guys. Sorry that I went to sleep. I was just too tired after eating."

Stepney shook his head with a smile.

And 7 minutes later, a pale-faced Mitsubachi pushed three bowls the size of a watermelon sliced in half towards Satori. As she held her mouth as if she was about to explode, she managed to get out a small voice.

"...S-seriously. The rest is up to you."

"It looks to me like you did nothing more than scrape a bit off the surface of the bowls."

In the end, Satori had no choice but to do battle with the ridiculous bowls Mitsubachi had ordered.

But once they had all finished eating and were preparing to leave the gyudon restaurant, Mitsubachi suddenly said, "I'm seriously hungry again. I'm starving!"

"...Satorin, I am going to stuff red pickled ginger in that brat's mouth, so scoot over."

Satori once more had to restrain the pink haired girl. The four of them somehow managed to leave the gyudon restaurant.

It seemed the time had finally come for others to be let into around the area so the flow of people had clearly changed from before. It seemed they had chosen the worst possible time for food.

But Mitsubachi did not care in the slightest about the changes to her surroundings.

"I'm tired now... Ken-chan, can you seriously carry me?"

"This brat!"

"Sthénos-san! Mitsu-chan is at a fickle age! Actually, why are you even mad this time?"

Just as a confused look appeared on Satori's face, his head was tugged back from Sthénos like a cat. As Satori was knocked back, Mitsubachi casually climbed up his back.

"This is where I can seriously be the most relaxed..."

"That is my spot!"

"W-wait, Sthénos! Please tell me why you're dragging that bus stop sign behind you in one hand!"

Suddenly, Mitsubachi's small head shot up from where she was clinging to Satori's back.

Her gaze accurately captured something she could not afford to overlook.

"Seriously..."

She saw a black-haired, eye-covered man, a man who looked like someone with experience and was known as a former friend to Akasora and Shinoda.

She saw a black-haired girl cut short who was in a long coat that went with her prep school-like appearance.

But Mitsubachi was focused the girl who appeared to be a year or two younger than her who was walking along between the other two.

She saw her. They saw each other.

They spotted each other's faces, pointed across the street, and shouted out.

"It's seriously the kid!"

"(What was that, you child!?)"

* * *

"...Found you," muttered a figure from a building rooftop.

He was a bulky man wearing clothes that you would be able to find anywhere. He was suppose to not seem like any race, but he gave off the feeling of some kind of human race. If he were to wear something like an American jacket then it would look good on him and if he wore a traditional Chinese shirt then it would look good on him. There was no true distinctive n between any one race.

He was Pyrínas.

He was a Trion Soldier made by the group known as the Wanderers.

It did not matter if there was an intense battle in the past, or if some sort of horrible research had been performed, he could not lose something like internal organs. He would just turn a situation around by using other materials to make up all of those lost parts.

"Found you, found you, found you. So that's the man who is meddling with us."

When he opened his mouth, a deep feeling could be felt that clashed with the pale coloration of the rest of his body.

An oozing dark coloration could be seen filling his eye sockets as well. Even though this added to the number of colors making up his body, it created a bizarre balance that exacerbated the empty instability of his appearance.

His fingers and nails were made of the same kind of material as the rest his body, so the extremities of his flesh were much too unnatural to be human. In one such hand, he held a cell phone.

Unlike Border or Seidō's group, Pyrínas was pursuing Michelle as a member of the Wanderers. He was to quickly capture that which was an enigma in their plans and get rid of it before anything could continue further. And he was expected to do his very best to accomplish that task.

However...

"That doesn't matter to me. I'm just going to do this the way 'I' want to."

"Yes, yes," agreed someone on the other end of the phone.

She was a woman wearing a cheap suit and a lab coat. The woman claimed to be a another member of the Wanderers and she replied in an incredibly carefree manner despite being well aware of the risks. Despite everything she knew, she showed no concern in her response.

"Do this however you like. And try to smash even the worst case hypotheses we Wanderers have come up with. That is what we hope for. ...This destruction is sure to have wonderful meaning to science. I am sure of it."

"Oh?"

With that arbitrary response, Pyrínas let go of the cell phone.

The delicate device was easily smashed when it struck the rooftop floor.

His gaze was not following his top priority target of Michelle.

He was looking at something else nearby.

He was looking at a certain person standing in the middle of the crowd. Pyrínas silently watched Tenryū Seidō, that unknown monster.

Someone who stood on equal ground with Shinoda and Akasora, not that he would know that. He was yet another enigma in their plan.

"...Let's get this started."

He snapped his fingers.

Something silently stood up from where it had been waiting nearby. There was one to the right. There was one to the left. And it did not end there. Figure after figure stood up. The building's entire rooftop was filled in no time at all.

No.

That was not all.

It did not end with that one building. It covered the entire area. Building rooftops all over the place were filled with figures.

They were all white.

They had the exact same coloration as Pyrínas...or more specifically, as the material he had used to create his body.

He cracked his neck.

As the Trion Soldier looked down at the peaceful world below, he muttered the same words once more.

"Let's get this started."


	3. Operation - From_the_Start

The gates of hell opened.

Amid all the many goals and objectives, the one that pulled the trigger was the sound of a great blast.

With them all together, the blast did not reach them, instead it moved down so that it hit the ground. Since it hit the ground hard and shook it, it was a truly strange sight.

Several events had gone by in quick succession.

It felt like time had stopped.

But finally everything began to move once more.

When the dumbfounded people in the area finally realized the blast had come from a shell fired along a path that made its way through the gaps between them, an explosive panic suddenly fell over the crowd. People let out meaningless screams and people fled every which way, paying no heed to whether they were on the road or the sidewalk. Car horns blared and, in some places, people fell like small lines of dominos.

"..."

Seidō move the others away from with a simple movement. Satori and Kitora helped as well so that the children were not involved with any more attacks. It was best to make sure that there would be no casualties in case another attack came.

And then Seidō looked in the direction the shell had come from.

He had assumed something like a tank had fired it...but he was wrong.

It had come from a giant white rhinoceros beetle that was 15 meters long.

Its form was constructed solely out of the curves, both gentle and sharp, found in biology. Its surface was covered with the same smooth luster as a new car.

However, its eyes let out an eerie green light and the tip of its thick horn shook. The thick horn was hollow as if its core had been removed, so that was likely the barrel. Despite having fired a shell, nothing like smoke could be seen coming from the barrel, so it may have used some special means of firing.

It was an eerie shade of white.

It was a familiar shade of white.

The rhinoceros beetle's armor opened up. Giant thin wings that had been folded up over its back spread out and began vibrating at high speed. Those vibrations produced something like a voice.

"I'll give my greetings as the Wanderers' best Trion Soldier."

When Seidō saw that bizarre material, saw how they moved in a very mechanical way, and most of all heard the voice produced by the vibration of the wings, he spoke as if spitting out the words.

"That's a disgusting voice that children need to be kept away from."

"Well, it doesn't really matter."

"This at least helps me deal with you. I don't have to worry too much about getting on anyone else's bad side. This is almost laughable."

"I am aware of that."

New screams filled the air.

Seidō could see the people who had tried to flee down other roads to escape the main road returning to the main road as if they were being pushed aside. They were followed by several more beetles. They appeared from all over the place. The giant pure white rhinoceros beetles used their 6 legs to move out to the main road.

"I won't bother to ask whether you can fight while protecting your allies. ...I do not care about anyone but that girl with a large a Trion source. It doesn't matter to me if anyone else is caught up in this or if they are blown to pieces."

"...What a tedious bastard," spat out Seidō. "Arrogant as well. Just telling us outright what his target is."

If the beetles opened fire with their shells from multiple directions at once, he would make sure to protect at least the children. He could protect the other people there by removing himself from the location. He could also protect them from stray shots by controlling the entire "location" like a billiards board, but it was still best to keep them from getting involved in the first place.

And that meant it would be best to completely lose the Border agents, drop the children off at some safe place, and then return alone to confront Pyrínas.

With that plan in mind, Seidō looked up toward a building rooftop, viewing it as a wall he needed to surmount.

However...

"..."

"Did you really think that was all?"

Seidō could see human figures standing on the edge of the building's rooftop. There were enough of them to completely cover the edge. Completely identical figures covered almost all of the building rooftops along the road.

"So you decided to overwhelm me with numbers since you know you can't defeat me in straight fight? With most things, quality matters more than quantity. Although I suppose that may fly over the head of someone like you."

"Did you really think that was all?"

The white rhinoceros beetle's wings whispered the same words once more.

"Did you think I merely deployed tons of puppets made of Trion? Did you think that was all the threat I could muster? Come on now. The threat approaching before your eyes is known as the best Trion Soldier ever made. Of course it isn't going to end that easily."

"You can't mean..."

Those words were muttered by Kitora, not Seidō.

It may have been her experience as an A-Rank of Border that allowed her to more keenly grasp the bizarreness of that possibility.

But the beetle continued speaking nonetheless.

It continued speaking the truth.

"I see that you lot aren't so stupid as to ask a question about me. Good. I'm not so stupid to answer anyway, so that's a good thing. Glad to know that Miden's warriors know a bit about general things and common sense."

As if in response to his voice, giant wings appeared on the backs of the countless figures standing on the building rooftops.

"Although at this stage, it really doesn't matter since you guys can easily be taken out. Like that man said, 'quality matters more than quantity.' I have both on my side, so I'll give you guys the chance to just hand over that girl so we can have a great amount of Trion on our side."

The multiple rhinoceros beetles created a circle around Seidō and began to slowly approach.

The countless white figures on the rooftops spread their wings wide in preparation to immediately crush Seidō if he tried to take any kind of action.

"Now let's begin the battle. If this is enough to overwhelm you, then that's that. If you are able to push back, I will have captured that many more varieties of possibility. Your strength will be directly used to level me up infinitely. ...I look forward to finding out when the eternal chain of death will end."

Seidō could destroy them all.

Pyrínas could produce even more.

Offense and defense.

That was the type of fight this was.

But Seidō had an Achilles' heel. To use everything he had meant he would have to divert his attention away from his main goal. These goals had to be done within the day and could not be delayed for too long to begin with.

The biggest danger for him was wasted time.

This was a never-ending battle yet he could not afford to hold back.

That sort of situation could cost him.

"Hey," Seidō whispered to Kitora next to him. "I'm going to destroy the ground. A subway tunnel runs underneath. The rest of you need to use the tunnel and the passageways for workers to escape."

"What about you?"

"I'll stay here to crush these eyesores."

He did not wait for a response.

With an explosive roar and a flash of yellow, the ground completely crumbled away within a 10 meter radius of Seidō. Kitora, Michelle, Sthénos, Mitsubachi, Stepney, and Satori were within that range and they fell down below.

Only Seidō, the one who had caused it, shot straight up like a rocket.

Once he reached the exact same height as the nearest building rooftop, the former Border member and the Trion Soldier's eyes met.

And then everything began to move.

"Do it," said the Trion Soldier.

In the next instant, the Trion Soldier's whiteness rushed in from all directions toward the former Border member's whiteness.

* * *

A young and handsome man walked down the street with an older man right next to him. They were both in regular clothes you could find anywhere, so they didn't seem suspicious in the slightest.

That was their goal anyway.

"When can we start~? I'm sure the others are anxious to begin as well~"

"Sir, please calm down. We've been placing the items all around this whole time while we were looking for the branches. Not to mention we had to be more cautious since Sanshū's Falcon caught Border's attention."

"Seriously~!? That girl needs to calm down. No matter what order I give her, she always disobeys and does her own thing. At least we don't have to worry about anyone from this city going to the next city over."

"Exactly, Sir."

"Urg. How many times do have to tell you, Hatomi, just call me by my name. People here have been looking at us weird when you say 'Sir.' They clearly don't see it right for someone so old to call me that. Especially since you say it so casually and with a dead tone!"

"Right...Lord Futoyuki."

"...That's not really any better..."

The two stood in the Forbidden Zone around the main Border base and looked up as something hovered above it. It was small and others really wouldn't be able to see it unless they really tried to look for it.

The something was a small ball that had multiple holes in it. It was a wonder how it was even in the air to begin with, but that thought would be thrown out once others realized it was something a Neighbor had made after a long time of research.

"Is everything ready?" The look on the younger man did not change from its casual expression, but his tone proved that he was serious. "No one is around the branch offices and there are no agents going in or out of this base?"

"It seems that Pyrínas has been found out by someone. He is currently leaving the tunnel system he found so that he won't be caught."

"That's fine. If he has already ordered the Beetles to action then we can go about doing what he need to do."

"Everything is set. We can see exactly if they are worthy of our attention or help depending on the results they give."

"Good. Let's start the lockdown now."

* * *

Akasora let out a tired sigh.

He and Shinoda were sitting in the Yagura Branch, just finishing up a chat when they felt the building start to shake.

They looked out the window and saw Trion coming down from above and go passed the window. They got up and looked out to see that the while building was covered in Trion.

"Now what's going on? Isn't that guy more than enough to deal with? Now we have to deal with this crap too?"

"It's not like I'm not irritated with this as well. Let's just get out to see what's going on."

"Can't you just contact HQ?"

"I just tried. It won't go through."

"If I find the idiots who did this I will give them a nice beat down that they'll feel for at least three years."

"Save that for after our escape."

"Yeah, yeah."

* * *

"Aaaah!"

Mitsubachi let out a short scream as she rolled down into the subway tunnel.

Kitora stood up and tapped on the hard floor with her foot.

"You can see the good side of that guy in how he makes sure we don't sprain our ankles in the fall. Even if we just met him today."

Meanwhile, Satori had not fared so well.

He had not been injured in the collapse the former Border member had caused, but he had noticed something important. That being a fact they were vulnerable at the moment.

"Satorin, are you okay?" asked Sthénos.

"This is just an odd day that makes me wonder if things will go south."

"You're thinking about her, aren't you?"

Michelle also looked over worriedly at Satori, but she then felt a tug on her clothes.

She looked over to find Michelle and Stepney looking at her.

"(Hey, Mitsubachi.)"

"What is it?"

When Mitsubachi replied after getting translation, Michelle switched over to whispering mode for some reason.

"(We have to make sure that we follow everyone here. They know things better than us in this case. Don't try to do anything bad.)"

"I-I seriously wasn't going to... How did you...!? W-well, well, well... Fine! I was going to follow Ken-chan's instructions anyways. My sister seriously trusts him so there's no reason for me not to seriously do the same."

"Mitsubachi, you said 'seriously' twice in one sentence. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Stepney!"

"Attention everyone," said Kitora as she clapped her hands to gather attention. "That man bought this time for us at his own risk. Whatever our individual issues may be, we need to escape from the Neighbor."

"No argument here," replied Satori while noticing a distinct flavor of dirt in his mouth. "Those were strong fighters. I can instinctually tell both of them are bad news. Whether they intend to or not, just being in the same place as them could get us smashed to pieces. It's obvious what would happen if we tried to support him without any real plan."

"So you're saying you would go back if you could come up with a plan?" asked Kitora for confirmation, but Satori irresponsibly averted his gaze.

At any rate, they needed to escape.

After that, he would observe from afar in hopes of finding an opening in the Trion Soldier's defenses and provide support if he found anything.

With a general plan in mind, Satori and the others began walking through the dark tunnel.

But then they heard an odd buzzing noise coming from deep in the darkness. It sounded like the vibrations of some large device operating. But that was not what it was. Satori had seen what caused that noise not long before. It was coming from giant wings beating the air.

"The rhinoceros beetles!"

As soon as Satori came to that realization, the vibrations of the air changed to a "voice" a human could understand as if a radio dial had been tuned to a proper station.

"Checking oral order. 'Destroy any and all elements that obstruct our mission.' ...Beginning value conversion for shift to autonomous tactics order."

Unlike before, the voice sounded like that of a recorded operator.

And it was not just a single voice.

"Compilation of autonomous tactics order complete."

"Primary objective determined."

"Checking effectiveness of eliminating the reason behind Miden actions."

"Battlefield determined, target action time determined, ideal ammunition expenditure determined. Preparations for attack on Trion Source and surrounding people complete. Executing autonomous tactics order under additional rule requiring minimal damage to surrounding environment."

Several green lights glittered in the darkness.

As they slowly approached, the silhouettes of several giant rhinoceros beetles grew visible. The giant cannons taking the form of thick horns made grinding noises as they readjusted their aim.

In that tunnel, the fragments and shock wave from the shells would likely kill all of them no matter who the beetles aimed at. And the beetles showed no sign of taking that into consideration.

"...!"

The one who received the greatest shock was Mitsubachi.

She had once been targeted by an oddly-shaped Trion Soldier operated by an unknown source. That battle had also used a narrow tunnel as its stage.

An unpleasant sweat quickly covered her entire face.

Strength left her legs and half of her vision seemed to be covered by something like fuzzy static. Mitsubachi was not even aware of the fact that her breathing had grown extremely erratic.

Michelle and Stepney were quick to try and comfort her.

The seven rhinoceros beetles continued their approach nevertheless.

Whether it was right or not, that group of weapons would use their cannons to blow away whatever target met the conditions they had been given. Even if Mitsubachi and the others tried to turn tail and run, there was only so much human legs could do. No matter how much they struggled, they could not escape the beetles' cannons. The first wave would blow them all to pieces, leaving behind a horrible scene in which no one would be able to tell which limbs belonged to which person.

That was what should have happened.

But...

"...K-ksh...?"

One of the rhinoceros beetles that had been moving as accurately as a machine let out a strange noise. It seemed some problem had arisen in the movements of the giant wings producing the artificial voice and that had caused an error in the voice conversion.

"What was that?" said Sthénos as she blinked a few times.

No, it was not an issue with the hardware.

The source of the problem was in the software signal that produced the artificial voice.

"Rechecking oral order... 'Destroy any and all elements that obstruct our mission.' Beginning value conversion while breaking order down word by word... Rechecking while searching for changes in meaning based on the word combination..."

The beetle's cannon began to sway slightly, unrelated to its targeting information.

The movement resembled a human tilting its head in confusion.

"Focusing on term 'mission'... Requesting help from all accompanying models... More information needed to set objective of autonomous strategy order..."

The seven rhinoceros beetles all spread their wings at once.

They vibrated those wings at high speed to create human language.

Isn't that obvious?

That was what the other beetles seemed to say in the readiness with which they replied to their malfunctioning friend.

"The objective of the current mission is to capture and use the large Trion Sources around the city. Current target is the one without a Trigger on their body."

"The objective of the current mission is to eliminate anyone who would obstruct our mission as Wanderers as well as our hidden objective."

"The objective of the current mission is to secure the battlefield."

"The objective of the current mission is to eliminate the recent continuing threat to ourselves by defeating all dangerous elements."

"The objective of the current mission is to protect the residents of different worlds from all currently anticipated dangerous elements..."

The rhinoceros beetles stopped moving for a moment.

But they took action shortly thereafter.

The seven rhinoceros beetles all rotated at once with enough force to send orange sparks flying from the concrete ground. Then, with their cannon barrels pressed against each other at close range, they unhesitatingly began firing.

* * *

He was just a teacher. He had no connections to anyone major. He knew that Border was locatated in Mikado City, the next city over, but he didn't care. He was fine with his small teaching job and being in the small classroom with his small class.

He was fine being a nobody.

"What the hell is going on!? I thought those thing were only suppose to appear in Mikado!"

He was worried about the odd looking animals walking around and destroying anything. He saw them take some people away as soon as the giant green wall fell upon the whole city. Even the huge multi-layer overpass didn't seem to stop the wall from falling as each layer got cut through by the green wall.

When he had first seen this all happen, the teacher quickly hid his students so that they would be safe. What he didn't notice was that one if his students had gotten lost in the escape.

Once he had been told of the missing child he went out to search for her.

He crawled along the ground to make sure he didn't get spotted by the weird animals around. As soon as he got to a destroyed gas station, he saw the missing student.

He also saw something else.

One of the strange animals, looking like a bear, was right behind her and seemed ready to either grab her or hit her, obviously making her go flying.

Panicking, he let out a yell of "Miki-chan, move!"

The girl seemed frightened when she looked over at the teacher and pointed behind him.

That's when he felt like there was something behind him. Slowly looking back, he saw one of strange animals glaring down at him.

"HELP!"

Just as the teacher squeezed his eyes shut, he heard a loud crash.

The animal behind him had suddenly flown a few meters to the side.

For an instant, the teacher thought the animal had been hit by a dump truck.

Even after turning around and seeing it with his own eyes, he could not believe that the animal had actually been struck by a single punch of a slender arm.

The great crash of the strange white animal's body destroying a vending machine brought all attention on that spot. However, the one who had thrown the punch did not seem to care.

"Looks like these ones are also Trion Soldiers."

"What a pain."

Two people accompanied her. They both looked ready for a fight, even if they seemed casual. One was standing atop the fallen bear-like Trion Soldier with her large sword stabbed into it. The other one a grin on her face.

Speaking to the one with the large sword, the girl that had saved the teacher said, "Try not to destroy the entire city, please."

"Look who's talking. With the queen of destruction on the scene, I have no room to actually shine on the battlefield."

"Please stop talking before I punch you all the way back to Mikado City."

While creating an extremely threatening atmosphere, the two of them slowly headed for the area where they figured their targets were. They were of course headed there to beat the crap out of the enemies and to take down the wall made of Trion.

The teacher was completely taken aback and the girl with a grin turned to wink and said, "Basically, those two woman are saying everything is going to be okay."

With countless explosions, two monsters ruled the battlefield.

They were the #1 and the #3 when it came to destruction of property via Trigger.

Those two A-Ranks had singlehandedly traversed through battlefields and now a tornado of destruction surrounded them.

* * *

"That much Trion..."

Yuki couldn't help but to stare at the cocooned building as he cut through the falcon-like Trion soldier with Idōgetsu.

He had been looking for Michelle after having accidentally lost her while also keeping an eye out for Seidō, but he had to stop when he saw the main Border building start to be covered by a wall of Trion. He had seen multiple people talking and panicking over the whole thing, but thanks to Tokieda's help as someone from Arashiyama Squad, the crowds were settled down from them saying it was just a test for some new defense.

After that, Yuki had decided to go back to the Yagura Branch office, but was stopped when he saw a speck in the sky. He had been informed about the flying Trion soldier Karasuma and Konami saw, so he took to the sky and dealt with it immediately.

Now here he was, falling from the sky. From his spot in the air he could see that not only was the Border headquarters covered, but also the branch offices he could see.

"What the hell is this...? That much Trion is crazy."

From the corner of his eye he could see another building trapped by the wall of Trion. The only thing was that it was a mall and had nothing directly to do with Border.

"Now that I think about it... Take invited me to go with them..."

Finally landing on the ground, Yuki let out a sigh as he scratched his head. He was about to head over to help his own branch, but stopped when he heard someone's voice.

"Ki... Yuki!"

"Hm? Tora-san?"

"Finally. There's something I need you to do."

"Does it have to do with why all the branch offices and HQ are trapped?"

"So you've noticed, huh? I guess that's not surprising. Well either way, you're right. Chishi and I were stuck in the Yagura Branch office for a bit there. We found out that at the top of the 'cage' there's a small machine. It's probably the thing that's making the 'cage'. Chishi should be on his way towards you right now. You need to go with him to the next city over."

"Hm? Is there something important there?"

"We had noticed that there was some line connecting to the machine over the office and the direction it was connected to is where the city is."

"Alright. I've gotcha now. We have to go and take out the main thing that's supplying the Trion for these 'cages,' right?"

"That's right. I'm leaving it to you two."

"Sure thing."

Ending the conversation, Yuki got ready to go. Before that though, he heard multiple steps coming towards him.

He felt a nasty feeling and quickly turned around with Idōgetsu pointed at the middle person.

"What do you want?"

There stood Ninomiya Squad in all their glory. Ninomiya simply looked at Yuki without paying the weapon pointed at him any attention. Inukai was just waving with a grin. Tsuji was standing there.

"We will be going with you. It'll get things done quickly. Not to mention I'm sure you can't take any opponent on yourself," Ninomiya said all this with an almost smug look.

"Sorry, but I'm gonna go with Sensei, so there's no room for you. I could use Inu and Tsuji's help though." Yuki looked back up at Ninomiya with his own irritated look. "Besides, what are you doing eavesdropping on other people's conversations?"

"Now isn't the time for your stupid fighting!"

The four turned to a car rushing at them. It stopped just before hitting them to show Akasora in the driver seat.

"Yuki and Masataka will go with me. Inukai and Tsuji, you go and help out the branch offices. There's something at the top of the whole thing you need to attack. Get the agents inside the 'cage' to help you destroy it. It has it's own defensive barrier around it, so relentless attacks are best."

"Roger that!"

"Now, you two idiots, get in already."

Doing as they were told, Yuki and Ninomiya got inside the car. They wasted no time as the car sped away.

"Guess we've gotta give it our all!"

With a nod from Tsuji, the two went off to take care of their assignment.

* * *

Satori used both hands to cover his ears with all his strength.

Even so, the roar within the tunnel was enough to feel like it was tearing apart his eardrums. The sound of the shells would have been loud enough at the best of times, but the close quarters and enclosed environment of the tunnel made it much worse. Given the circumstances, he counted himself lucky that none of his organs were injured.

"What the hell, what the hell, what the hell, what the hell!? If they were gonna start fighting each other, couldn't they have done it before approaching us!? What are they trying to do!?"

"Seriously... I feel dizzy..."

The seven rhinoceros beetles were not firing at Satori and the others.

Satori was not sure if those monsters were living creatures or just weapons, but they had pressed their cannon barrels against each other as if creating a ring and then unhesitatingly begun firing repeatedly at each other at point blank range.

While holding her own ears just like Satori was, Kitora grimaced and said, "It looks like their friend/foe identification and destruction priority order have been thrown out of order thanks to a difference in interpretation over their orders. But how?"

The explosive noises continued.

One of the white rhinoceros beetles that must have weighed several tons was torn from the ground and blown in a large parabolic arc. It flipped upside down so the area of armor meant to store its wings was pressed up against the concrete and subway track.

"Wah!"

"Satori-senpai, move back," said Kitora.

Immediately after he was pulled backwards by a surprisingly strong tug on his clothes, the upside-down beetle slid into the spot he had been standing in.

Either their "opinions" had coincided or they were simply going to destroy the enemy they could because the other six beetles all aimed at the single upside-down beetle.

As the rhinoceros beetle's six legs wriggled around, it forcibly vibrated the wings trapped between itself and the ground to create an artificial voice that could reach Satori and the others who were nearby.

"...What was I trying to do...?" it asked.

"How the hell should I know!? Don't come on out here if you're just going to get confused!"

"I suppose so... I agree that this is something I should decide for myself..."

While still on its back, the beetle beat its thin wings against the ground to rotate around. Using that method, it accurately aimed its thick horn. Its target was Michelle who stood behind Satori.

"Seriously!"

Mitsubachi immediately moved forward to cover Michelle who was behind Kitora's leg.

But...

The shell never came.

While still on its back, the rhinoceros beetle vibrated its thin wings to create a voice once more.

"Activating order wizard... Validity of oral order 'destroy any and all elements that obstruct our mission' in question... No threat detected in designated individuals... Continuation risks leading to destruction of entire order list..."

"Wh-what? What do you mean by that?"

"I am saying I will save you in order to protect my order list from a fatal contradiction..."

The other six beetles took action.

Without producing any flames or smoke, shells bigger around than an arm were fired from the tip of the barrel that looked like a thick horn.

Immediately afterwards, the beetle that had been lying upside down near Satori and the others twisted itself around and fired from that position. One of the pillars supporting the subway tunnel was smashed to pieces and a shower of fragments fell in the path of the shells fired by the other six beetles, altering their trajectory.

At the same time, the one rhinoceros beetle used the recoil of firing that shell to leap over Satori and the others' heads, rotate halfway in midair, and land with its six legs clawing at the concrete ground.

"Protecting system and setting up new position from a different angle... Checking to confirm no contradictions were produced by battling fellow beetles..." Its giant thin wings vibrated, producing an artificial voice. "Rhinoceros Beetle 07 will now protect you in order to optimize the oral order from Pyrínas..."

With a sound like a cathode ray tube, the color of Rhinoceros Beetle 07's eyes changed from green to red.

It changed from a symbol of safety to the representative color of warnings.

It may have been nothing more than a bug created when it converted the oral order given by a human into a numerical order script.

It may have been a conversion error wanted by neither Pyrínas nor the woman he had spoken to at some point.

But...

Even if it came from a mistake, some form of "direction" had appeared within Rhinoceros Beetle 07.

* * *

It was an odd situation.

The elevators and stairs were sealed off and everyone was trapped on one of the mid level floors. The worried people meaninglessly rushed toward the exits, but no one tried to actually touch them once they realized they were reenforced with Trion and connected to the larger barrier right outside. As a result, they were packed in tightly enough that they could all topple over like dominoes at any time and yet a gap remained around the closed emergency exit.

Even with all the noisy people around her, Suzume still found that she wanted to keep shopping.

Takeshi and Toby were speaking in front of her.

"I checked every part of the damn thing, but they really are cluttered with Trion. It isn't just locked and it doesn't just have furniture piled up on the other side. The gaps in the damn thing have been filled to create a solid wall."

"So I'm guessing a Neighbor did this?"

"I don't know who did it or why, but it's really annoying."

"Yeah." Takeshi sounded like he was vaguely recalling something. "Wasn't Amatori able to blast through HQ's wall with an Ibis?"

"She has a crazy amount of Trion, so it would take tons to properly reenforced it so that something like that wouldn't happen again."

"As long as these walls aren't as reenforced as HQ I should be able to get through, right?"

Toby gave an uncertain look.

Suzume tilted her head and asked a question with her mind still wondering what she should buy. "What are we going to do, Take?"

"It doesn't really matter. We need to make up our mind, but I see two real options here. The first is to try and get some kind of contact with the outside."

"What's honestly the second one?"

"To create an escape route right now. Like this for example."

As he spoke, Takeshi casually held out a hand horizontally.

A moment later, a brilliant beam of light surged outward and tore through the Trion wall that could probably withstand a direct hit from an Ibis used by an A-Rank.

This was Border's one-of-kind special Shooter Trigger.

The high firepower strike was made as a specialty for Takeshi so that he could get the job done without worrying about certain things. The emergency exit and the surrounding wall were transformed into a perfectly circular hole two meters across. The edges were cleanly cut and there was no hint of what had happened to the materials that had previously formed the inside of the circle. The sight almost seemed to ignore the fundamental law of conservation of mass.

The surrounding noise had already quieted down.

First, the general pressure of being trapped inside a giant building had been overpowered by their direct fear of Takeshi for having instantly pierced through the Trion enhanced materials.

Second, the exit had finally opened, but no one wanted to approach it when the edges of the perfect circle were still looking to be a little small for adults.

And lastly…

With a sound like a rope being stretched until it nearly broke, countless lines shot horizontally and vertically across the hole to form a lattice.

Their path to freedom had not remained open for even five seconds. The building materials hadn't been brought back, but Trion covered the destroyed area and spread further as they began to repair the wall.

"Huh?"

With a tilt of the head, Taieshi fired a second shot. From there, he fired a third, fourth, fifth, and sixth.

"W-wait, wait, wait! Takeshi, wait!"

"You're shooting way too much! Take, that's way too much!"

"But it got covered and regenerated."

"Takeshi, that honestly isn't an excuse."

"And stop pouting your lips! Everyone around us is ultra freaked out! Try to sense what's going on!"

"Reflex boy is telling me to sense what's going on? Heh. You're kinda risking it with that one."

"Ahh! This is getting to be too much for me to handle! Don't you get what's going on here!?"

Toby's blood vessels bulged out on his face and Takeshi grabbed his forehead to hold him back.

Suzume simply flipped her hair and asked, "What do we do now?"

"We have two options. First, we can give up on escaping. We'll find a way to contact the outside, and then try to find the idiots who set this up."

"What's the second one?"

"That's obvious."

Toby regretted his question once he realized this was going the same as last time he asked, but it was too late.

He heard multiple sounds much like some sort of Sci-Fi laser beam being fired from an intergalactic ship. Yes, multiple.

Three to five fist-sized orbs hovered around the Shooter.

"We continue trying to make an escape route. For example, we can see just where this thing's endurance level is."

A moment later, he provided an encore presentation with three laser-like beams coming out of each orb.

* * *

The members of the Tamakoma Branch that were actually at the branch office looked forward at the green wall that was in front of them. It looked thin enough to break through as it covered the entire office. Even the water the building was on had the green wall going into it.

Konami Kirie clicked her tongue as she walked forward and tapped at the wall. No on dared to stop her as her irritation showed through her facial expression.

Someone had actually trapped them all without any of them noticing it.

"What the hell is this!? Who covered the whole building in a cube!? If someone comes up and calls it Perfect Cube, I will make sure they get beaten down. Let's make that clear right now."

"Konami-senpai, it's probably best to just calm down right now. Doing something rash could have backlash that would make things worse."

"I figured that much. It's just annoying as hell that this happened when we were all here and no one noticed this until it came down on us."

"So would you be fine if someone did notice but this still happened?"

"Of course not. That would at least give me a target to attack though."

The members of Tamakoma Branch stood outside of the office building, but still in the barrier made of Trion. Attacking right away seemed to be a bad option since they did not know anything about this wall at all. That just meant they needed to figure things out.

They had been discussing the man and the Trion Soldier from earlier and had come outside when they felt a rumbling feeling. It came to everyone as a shock when they saw the wall of Trion cover their entire building before their eyes.

"How are we suppose to get out?" Osamu asked as he examined the cube.

"What a stupid question." Pulling out her Trigger, Konami grinned. "We'll just bust right through it. Backlash be damned. You guys can deal with that after I attack. At least we'll know what happens after we attack it."

Getting right down to it, Konami connected the two weapons in her hands to make the great battle axe she used to mow down her opponents.

She charged forward and easily cut through the wall of Triom while using Meteora for good measure.

"See? Nothing to it."

Just as she said this, the wall of Trion started regenerating. It did not take more than 5 seconds for the whole destroyed part to be rebuilt.

"'Nothing to it'..."

"Keep talking! Yeah! Keep talking, Torimaru! It'll give me the motivation to kick your ass after we get out of here!"

"Karasuma-senpai..."

Mikumo shook his head at his upperclassman as he continued to give small remarks or statements towards Konami, who was busy trying to break through completely. The amount of power he saw from Konami was amazing, but it was clear that any time she broke through that the wall of Trion would regenerate.

Under normal circumstances it would be safe to assume that the Trion keeping the wall together would run out at some point. Since they had no clues as to where the Trion was coming from it was hard to determine what they could do to speed up this process. That could backfire on them by forcing them to use up their own Trion before they had any chance of breaking through the wall of Trion.

"Ah~ Looks like she's already tried~"

Everyone looked over to see Jin walking up to them with a grin in place. His expression and posture gave no sign of urgency. It seemed as if he did not mind what he was seeing at all.

"Yo~ You might want to aim for that thing. Just destroy it and you'll all be fine. It's what's ho,ding the Trion that's making this wall. The other branches have to deal with this as well. Yagura had Akasora-san and Shinoda-san in it, so they just told the rest of us out here how to deal with it."

Following the direction of the finger, they saw a small ball above the building that seemed to be encased in a ball of Trion as well.

Using the pent up anger in her, Konami quickly got to work by jumping from the ground to the building. With an extra strong leap she was in the air and sliced through casing that was protecting the item, but could not destroy the small ball.

That go covered by a shot that went by her. It destroyed the small ball, making the Trion barrier start to fade away.

"See? That wasn't so bad," Jin said as he walked towards them. "Now we just need to take care of those things."

Looking up, everyone saw specks in the sky that looked too far away to identify.

Karasuma and Konami knew what they were though.

They had seen those specks in the sky earlier in the day. It had turned out to be a large falcon-like Trion Soldier. Seeing that many in the skies above Mikado City made the two of them get ready for a vicious fight.

Seeing how the two acted, Kizaki moved forward to speak with Jin. The tone he used and the expression he wore was of someone calm and collected. It had been best to follow Jin's lead on how to respond to those specks.

"Jin, is this another invasion?"

"No. It's actually nothing that we particularly need to worry much about. Oh. By that I mean when it comes to hostility. The fact they went to the trouble of migrating the civilians out of harms way helps to prove that. They don't want to get anyone innocent involved. You guys have probably noticed that certain areas aren't that populated when they really should be."

That was something they had all noticed.

The day had been odd to them since they had either seen areas where crowds of people gathered or areas where only a few amount of people were. It was strange given the time of day. Hearing this from Jin give them the information as to why that was happening.

"They probably came up with some way of diverting people's attention away from certain places. They are deeming that certain places are 'dangerous' and others are 'safe,' meaning that the people will always head towards the areas that are 'safe.' I've been getting that feeling when I wasn't paying attention and wasn't in my Trion Body. I guess it affects people's subconscious more than anything. I don't know if this is because of some sort of Trigger or what, but it's a nice way of saying that they don't like dragging civilians into this."

It was strange to hear such an explanation. It seemed rather civilized and kind of the attackers. This meant that they had battlefields they could fight in without having to worry about the citizens of Mikado City getting caught up in some way.

That was not appear to in their most recent invasion.

"'People Clearing Field.' Let's just call it that for now. Anyway. Taking those soldiers out and finding the ones controlling them are still important. We can't really just let these guys do as they want after all."

Having said what he needed too, Jin started to walk away with a wave.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to see if I can stop a certain someone before they meet up with Akasora-san. That's something we don't want to deal with."

Reiji and Rindō nodded their heads. They already knew what this meant and left it to Jim with no problems.

Everyone else was wondering what that meant though.

* * *

The branch offices of Border, along with a certain mall, had ended up getting overtaken by walls of Trion that would continuously regenerate the moment they were broken. Both the Yagura Branch and Tamakoma Branch had managed to break through those walls and escape their prisons.

The same could not be said for the main Border building.

The large building in Mikado City seemed to be covered in a multi-layered cube of Trion. It seemed to be built like the ones covering the branch offices. The ones inside the cube had no way of knowing that it would regenerate once destroyed, or even how to destroy the cube at all.

That was why every Attacker was using their blades to break through while Shooters, Gunners and Snipers focused their fire at the cube. It was all in an attempt to break out and free themselves from the cube made of Trion.

"Whoa~ This is really tough. We've even been concentrating to a single point and it doesn't look like it does anything. Whoever made this wants to make sure we don't get out."

"This just means we need to put more force behind our attacks. That way we won't give the thing any time to reform. There doesn't seem to be any backlash to attacking so that's the best we've got at this point."

Kako looked over to see Yoneya and Izumi talking while continuing their attacks on the wall of Trion. She had been keeping up with the other Shooters and Gunners that were focusing on a single point of the wall. It was rather annoying to have to fire so much with little effect.

"If we had a real powerhouse with us this would make things easier. Hm~ I'll make sure to send in a complaint towards Yagura for having their field trip and taking both those monsterous girls with them. They are perfect for this kind of thing."

"Disregarding the want for two people who would readily attack us as well... Those two guys have a point," Kumagai said from her spot next to Nasu. "We can hardly do any damage to this thing. Is it even worth it to use up Trion instead of wait for a definite answer?"

"We already have others working on that. Even so, I doubt any of us really just want to sit back and wait for something to happen. Some others, like those guys, rather make result themselves then wait for it. I actually thought you were someone like that as well."

"What!? Who said that!? Show yourself for comparing us like that! I'll punch you before going back to this!"

Nasu laughed a bit at Kumagai's antics while concentrating on her own attacks toward the wall of Trion.

They had been at this for a while now and still could not find out the solution to this problem.

It was a miracle when they finally found a hit to work with in the form of something falling.

"You're attacking the wrong area!"

They all looked up to see one of the specks in the sky speeding towards them. They were not sure if it could actually reach them, but they got ready anyways. The speed it was coming at did not make it seem like it was attacking. Rather, it looked as if it had been struck down from the sky and just happened to be going towards them.

It shocked them to see it ram right into the top of the barrier and actually break through it. They saw that it had went for a specific part in the middle of the top of the barrier.

That was when Director Shinoda Masafumi appeared from above it with Kōgetsu in his hand. He cut through the small ball that looked like it was the cause of the barrier.

The only thing was that it was not what created the barrier, seeing as how it was still active.

"I should have expected something like this."

Shinoda looked around from his spot on top of the cube of Trion. He could see everyone now looking directly at him, and what he was standing on.

He had managed to get into the air to see exactly what was flying in the skies above Mikado City. It was surprising to see multiple falcon-like Trion Soldiers flying in the air, as if waiting for something.

He had taken the initiative by cutting one down and forcing it down so that he could deal with one of the spherical objects that created the cube of Trion.

Once he noticed that he really did have everyone's attention on him, he looked down and addressed them all in a booming voice so that they would hear him from inside the cube.

"Look all around the building and try to find one of these balls! Or even anything that looks like it doesn't belong! They are probably multiple ones scattered all around to make sure we are locked up for a long while! I'll looked around the parameter of the barrier while you look in the building! We don't have time to lose! Let's find and destroy these items!"

Doing as they were told with no problems, all the agents that were there quickly went back in the building and started their search while Shinoda started his own search.

Looking up at the sky he saw all the specks start to be more clear. That was when he saw a certain something.

_Why is that one so much bigger than the rest of them...?_


	4. Willpower - One_End_to_Another

The next city over from Mikado City was facing their own crisis in the form of animal-looking Trion Soldiers attacking their city. It was not something they were expecting since Mikado City had been attracting the Neighbors the whole time.

They had all heard about the invasion that had happened a while ago but never thought that it would happen to them at any time. They had no way of fighting back against the Neighbors without any Border agents.

They were going to fall as a city before anyone would come to their help.

That's how it was suppose to be.

"...!"

The animal-looking Trion Soldiers were quickly cut down with ease by a Trion-made sword. Their armor looked relatively tough, yet there was no protection to their cores. Under normal circumstances they would have been able to protect themselves using those tough shells.

Currently...

"...! ...! ...!"

The one taking them was too fast for them to prepare any sort of defense to protect their cores.

Each attack was vicious, sharp and calculated.

Shobu spent no time in deciding his next attack. The only thing he thought about was teleporting to to the next target before anyone could realize he was doing so.

To the side, Kirigiri Kazekiri and Mori Kirisame were busying themselves by guiding any civilians away from the fighting. With no direct support from Border it meant that they were the only ones to do such a thing. It was tough in its own right when they were the only two on the job.

"Where the hell are these things coming from? This city shouldn't have any way of attracting Gates over from Mikado City! Why does it seem like an invasion is going on over here instead of over there?"

"We don't know the current situation over in Mikado City, so the same could be happening over there for all we know. But besides that... Come over here and help me already. Shobu is already taking the brunt of everything, having already become a B-Rank."

"That's what I meant! I wouldn't have thought to put him through this today, when we aren't near Mikado City! I want to help him out-"

"Then help him by helping your other friend! If you do then you're getting the people away from the fighting, you stupid brat!"

Kazekiri and Kirisame looked out when they noticed multiple Trion Soldiers get taken out at the same time while Shobu was on the opposite side of the battlefield. Teleportation had occurred to them, but the distance and angle were too much for him to work under. That left another option.

They now had assistance from someone else.

"Don't go spacing out now. I'll just take you both down if you get in my way. ...Yeah, yeah! I know already! Tch. I guess I can't take you out regardless. Damn that Kiyoshi! The next time he asks for a favor I'm going to charge him for it!"

The two C-Rank agents watched in amazement as Kageura Masato easily ran forward while taking out any and all Trion Soldiers he saw. His use of Scorpion was amazing to watch with it seeming more like a whip or grappling hook at times. He even moved around Shobu and his fights.

Any of the Trion Soldiers that the two could not get to in time were dealt with by a clean snipe from a distance or bombardments from Kitazoe a few feet away.

They knew it was best not to just stand around and watch, so they went back to work. They started guiding the citizens away from the fighting.

There was just one issue with their job.

The whole city had been encased within a dome of Trion. That meant they were all trapped inside of the City. Even if they were to hide somewhere that did not mean they were guaranteed safety from the attackers.

Even so, they knew that it was best to keep any fighting within a set area and keep everyone else away from the fighting. It was the basics in protection of a city.

.

Shobu could feel his mental strength go down each time he cut up the core of a Trion Soldier.

His physical skills were great, especially for a recent B-Rank agent. They far exceeded that of some others who shared the same rank. That was more because of his teachers being Tsukiko Yuki and his own uncle than anything else. They had taught him multiple things in order to maintain some sort advantage.

They had once mentioned that it would help him keep a presence with others as well. They quickly corrected themselves by stating that he was the type to not have much of a presence to begin with and that that fact would be helpful to him as well.

Even so, those were all physical attributes that helped him as a Border agent. His mental strength was far weaker than anything he could do physically. He usually wore a multitude of devices around his neck for one reason or another. He would stick close to people he knew and who could help him when it comes to conversations. They all helped him out so that he could keep his mental strength up.

That may have been why his father had left.

That was neither here nor there at the moment. All that mattered was that he had no one to rely on during this time and no devices to look at to assist him with his mentality. All he had was the blade in his hand and some assistance via Kageura Squad.

That was when he remembered it.

That black bracelet-like object that had been entrusted to him by his uncle and boss. It had apparently been created during the exact moment of his own mother's death. That may have been why it was given to him over someone like Mei or Mukuro. That black bracelet-like object may have been able to take them all out in an instant.

His knowledge would be able to protect everyone.

His emotions would be able to smash his way through.

His willpower, although low, would create a blade that none could defend against.

Then it occurred to him that he had no choice. Due to him knowing just how strong that black bracelet-like object was he decided to only take a part of it instead of it all. He could not use his emotions to smash through and could not use his knowledge to protect. All he could do was create a blade that none could defend against.

Truly useless at the moment.

What good would a blade do right now?

It could take out these Trion Soldiers without issue. That did not solve the issue of where they were coming from. He could take out whoever had made them. That did not solve the issue of knowing where they were. He could create a path for others to walk through. That did not solve the issue of them having nowhere to go.

"...Useless... ...Even then...I'm useless... ...I can't help... ...I can't be like...any of them... ...So useless..."

There was another issue that black bracelet-like object could not solve. The blade that was created used a person's Trion to create it. It also had to decide that the user had enough willpower to use it. If they did not, they would be unable to use it to begin with.

"...Us-"

"Stop mumbling to yourself over there! If you have the time for that then help out over here! You're suppose to be Kiyoshi's student, right? Then stop slowing down!"

"Kage-san, yelling at Tenryū won't help. Sorry about him, Tenryū. He doesn't mean any harm."

"Shut up, Ema!"

Shobu was amazed by this small conversation. He did not think that someone - especially someone he only knew in passing - would say something to defend him. It had happened only with people he knew well enough. Hearing Ema say something for him from atop a building itself was something uncommon for him.

Kitazoe was even trying to say something to him concerning the way his captain was speaking. It was a nice sentiment, even if Shobu himself felt like the yelling was deserved. There was no reason not to be yelled at like that. He could not continue on when he could not focus and there was no way for him to muster up the willpower to use Shikifuku for anything.

The thought of just giving it to one of the members of Kageura Squad came to mind. They all seemed well off in areas he was clearly lacking in. They would be able to use Shikifuku well enough to get out this. They may be able to find a solution.

It felt wrong.

Just thinking like that felt wrong. He knew what was given up to create Shikifuku. He had been the one to be allowed to use Shikifuku. His own willpower was suppose to be the factor that allowed for Shikifuku to create that blade.

Handing it over to someone else was not something he was going to readily do.

"...Okay... ...I will...continue to...help... ...I am...sorry for...causing issues..."

"Ah, ey, oh! Oh, ey, ah! Tenryū-chan~ People from Kageura Squad~ I've found something for you to work with! No, no. Rather, Mukuro found something for you all to work with! Yes, yes! Attention, attention!"

Shobu looked over to see the only Operator the Yagura Branch had at the moment. Nakagami walked forward without a care, as if the threat of the Trion Soldiers was nonexistent.

Her voice echoed out as she walked right up to Kitazoe.

"Hey, big guy, you'll need your shots for something else." She looked from Kitazoe to Ema. "You too, boy. Mukuro found some small spheres around the edges of the city. They're the things creating this dome of Trion. You two can take that down, okay? That'll be enough, I think, for everything to work itself out."

"Don't go ordering us around like that! Who the hell are you anyways?"

"Not nice at all. Zero points in total. Whatever. I'm Yagura's Operator, Kageura-san. I've got nothing to do while those guys have fun on the multi-layer overpass. Basically, I'm being a messenger for people who can kick my ass."

"Shitokei and that shitty woman... Fine. You two go find those things. The shrimp and I will deal with these things. Hey, you two better hurry up and get the people out of here or I'll just take you down!"

"We're doing what we can! There is only two of us, you know!"

Things were finally looking up.

They found a solution to an issue.

That meant there were only a few more issues left.

"...Nakagami-sama... ...Did he...say anything about...the northern area...having any...?"

"Hm? If it had to guess... Probably. I didn't hear him too much between his yawns. He mentioned the possibility of there being some spheres going around the city. So my guess would be North, South, East, West, and everything in between. Eight in total. Why?"

Shobu gave a nod.

There was something he could do now.

"...Could you...find Mei-san... ...Tell her...to go...north... ...I will...let her...out..."

"Wait a damn minute! -These damn things...! You can get her out but not everyone else? What kind of crap is that? Playing favorites now is-"

"Kage-san, calm down. Yelling at him right now will just set us back."

"Tch!"

"Tenryū, continue."

Shobu gave another nod. This time to show his thanks to Ema.

"...Black Trigger... ...I can...create an...opening... ...But I...don't know...if something will...happen after..."

"Oh! Takaoto would be able to deal with anything if something goes wrong! That's why he wants it to be her. It does make sense. But wait, you said Black Trigger. Do you have one?"

Shobu was glad that Kitazoe spoke up before he got yelled at by Kageura again. He was not sure how much more yelling he could take at this point.

"...Yes... ...Shikifuku..."

It was a simple answer.

Maybe too simple seeing as Kageura looked ready to yell at him again.

By this point Shobu guessed that Kageura either like yelling, liked yelling at him or was just that mad about the current situation. It was hard to tell since he had also yelled at his friends and Nakagami.

Once again, he was saved by someone else speaking up.

"I'll head North with Tenryū. From there I'll go clockwise to find those spheres. Is that alright?"

"So that leaves me going South. Alright. I'll follow that clockwise pattern."

"Oh... Looks like Kageura-san isn't even paying attention to us anymore. Right, right. Alright. I'll go do my part and tell Mei-san about this then. She should be able to catch up to you guys in about ten minutes. Luckily that overpass isn't too far~"

Here it was.

Solutions were being found to the issues they were having.

This was the time for them to really get to work and help out the city that was under attack.

That meant there was only one issue Shibu himself had not deal with now.

* * *

Takeshi let out a sigh as he stopped firing his laser-like beams, and scaring the people who were also stuck. He scratched his head in annoyance and turned to his two teammates.

"Do you two want to try now? I'm getting kinda bored with this."

"(You aren't allowed to say that after firing like that for so damn long!)"

Toby had been so angered that he had not noticed his language had switched to one almost no one in the building could understand.

While the two of them were having their small argument, the people behind them were whispering to themselves.

"Are we ever going to get out!?"

"What is with that kid...?"

"At least we're safe from those things in the sky."

Hearing the last comment, Takeshi questioned what the person had meant. When he got his answer he quickly ran over to the main area, where the large glass window was. He looked out and saw a large Trion Soldier that looked like an over-sized falcon flying around and letting out a screech.

He had not noticed them at all and had not heard them outside. It seemed as if they had appeared out of nowhere and we're now swarming the skies of Mikado City.

Being someone who could not pass up an opportunity like this, Takeshi readied himself.

"Suzume-senpai, please get ready to fire," Takeshi said a three orbs appears by his head.

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to make a hole in the wall and that'll give you around a five second opening to fire at that Trion Soldier."

"Okay... If you're sure."

Nodding to himself, Takeshi waited for the right moment before muttering "Gimlet" and firing three powerful beams.

The beams collided with the glass, shattering it completely, but also destroying the Trion wall that was covering it.

Taking her chance, Suzume aimed just right and fired her shot. It went through the hole and made contact with the large falcon-like soldier.

"Alright! Everyone, please get back and take cover."

Doing as they were told, everyone in the area ran away from the shattered window as Takeshi stood ready with the three orbs by his head and Shield in front of him.

The giant falcon-like Trion Soldier had smashed through the opening and into the central lobby at full speed.

Before it could completely get passed it, three shots were fired from the orbs by Takeshi's head and managed to take out the Trion Soldier's core.

Without it's core functioning, the falcon-like soldier was stuck in the Trion made wall that regenerated five seconds after being destroyed. The difference now was that it wasn't closing up and seemed to be stuck with the falcon-like soldier in the way.

"Okay... Now what!?"

"That's easy." Takeshi fired more shots that went right through the Trion Soldier, but didn't destroy it. "You will get out of here and see what's going on out there while I go look for what's making this barrier."

"What!? But-!"

"I had my suspicion." Giving a shrug, Takeshi turned away. "I just didn't want to go to the roof."

"... I hate you. I really hate you, ya know..."

"Yeah, yeah. Now hurry up and leave before I send Senpai instead."

"Hey!"

"Gotcha."

Toby let out a sigh as he used Teleport. He appeared right in front of the soldier that was stuck in the regenerating wall of Trion and put his hand on it. A small mark appeared on it.

Some laser-like beams went passed him and hit the wall that was trying to regenerate around the stuck Trion soldier and destroyed it for around 5 seconds.

Toby used this small window to push the falcon-like Trion soldier out of the hole and was quickly gone from his spot in the air. He reappeared on the other side of the wall and gave a small wave to the people inside before taking his leave.

"Alright then... Let's go see if we can find the thing that's using this Trion to keep us in."

* * *

Mei, Kushikage and Mukuro stood atop the multi-layer overpass that was pointlessly placed in the city so that it would look like cars were constantly going in and out of the city for one reason or another. They looked around the city to try and find exactly what it was that could help them out.

After leaving the younger agents, Mukuro had tried to find his older sister. When on his search he found something else that seemed to function as an interest point for him. Once he come across the three girls who could easily beat almost any man to a pulp if they really wanted, he pointed out what he saw. Nakagami was quick to leave so that she could tell the younger agents.

After figuring that their best changes were to get to higher ground, the three made their way to the multi-layer overpass while getting rid of the Trion soldiers.

"So... This is fucking boring. There's absolutely no one here and we can't find anyone from way the fuck up here."

"Well if you would actually look out there instead of focusing on how much bigger your breasts are to mine then maybe you could be useful."

"But I'm seriously wondering how a 19 year old girl has such a flat chest."

"Are you two really talking about boobs right now?" Mukuro let out a tired sigh. "I expect this from Kushi-nee, but you..."

"Don't give me that."

"By the way, what do we suppose we do with those two walking up to us? I mean, according to what Nakagami is showing us, there's a way for you to get out now."

"...You two handle these two coming up. I'll go and get out so I can get in contact with HQ."

Two people came at the three from both side of the road with their weapons at the ready.

One was a tall blond woman with padding all around her body. She had a large claymore in only one hand that she used to try and slice them in two.

The second was also a girl that seemed to be an inch or so shorter than Mei who also had blond hair, but no padding. She had a whip in her hand that seemed to extend to greater lengths than any other whip.

Seeing the attacks coming, the three went to action. Mei jumped from the edge of the top road and quickly made her way to the place Shobu had told them about. Kushikage easily blocked the claymore with her broadsword. Mukuro easily dodged any movement of the whip while looking like a drunkard that was simply getting lucky.

The two attackers moved away as the two defenders stood ready for the fight.

"So these two think they can take us on? I feel kinda insulted," the blond with the claymore said.

"Well we can take these two out so our lovely leader doesn't have to worry about them later on." The blond with the whip flipped her hair as he looked at Mukuro. "Don't take this the wrong way, hun. We really have no quarrels with this world. We're just testing something out. We promise we'll leave the civilians alone~"

"You say this after you destroyed buildings and cut this multi-layer overpass off from the rest of it."

"Hey, that isn't our fault!" The claymore wielding one seemed to get irritated by the comment. "Blame those two idiots that love Trion Soldiers they make as if they were lovers!"

"That sounds pretty nasty." Slamming her sword to the ground, Kushikage let out a sigh. "Why do we have to go along with what she says? Does she seriously want us to waste Trion here? Come to think of it, I can't think of a single reason I have to go along with this."

* * *

Shobu and Ema were making their way towards the most northern area of the city. They had taken out some Trion Soldiers while they jumped from rooftop to rooftop.

They had both been quiet throughout the entire run to the edge of the city. It was a comfortable silence that both would have rather stayed with the whole time. Neither one were the type to start a conversation with each other.

And yet something needed to be said.

"...Thank you...for helping me..."

"If you're talking about Kage-san, it's fine. He just had some high expectations of you without knowing how you usually are. It was actually his own fault for taking everything Tsukiko-senpai said as fact."

"...?"

"Tsukiko-senpai has come into our room bragging about you before. He always says how he had a great student who could beat us with little to no issues. No offense but...he was overselling it for you."

"...None taken..."

"Anyway. That was why you were getting yelled at. Besides that, he was also mad that he was being used by Tsukiko-senpai. We came over here because Tsukiko-senpai had asked us to come in case something went wrong. ...I guess he was right to do so."

"...His instincts...are very good..."

"Apparently. It was short notice, and Zoe-san had to convince Kage-san to say yes. Although that may have been more because Zoe-san just wanted to come over here."

"...And what about...you...?"

"...Hm. That's because Tsukiko-senpai had asked me to make sure you were alright. He called in a favor that I owed him. Besides what's going on right now, it's not too bad that we came. We're in the same grade but don't talk to each other. So this is fine."

There was a nice feeling.

A nice feeling of knowing that Yuki spoke so highly of him. A nice feeling of have a conversation with someone he did not know too well. A nice feeling of someone actually expecting something of him. A nice feeling of someone thinking that it was fine to speak to him.

The list of people that he had always been able to talk to could be counted on a person's hands with extra fingers to spare. Even so, this conversation felt like it could have been an indication of a new person being added on to that list.

"Now then... I told you something that you seemed to like. Mind telling me why you keep looking at that thing?"

Shobu halted for a moment. Completely stopping in place without looking up from the object in his hand.

The object was black in color with some blue lines circling it. The size was rather small, around one third of an adult's wrist. It's general appearance looked like it connected to something else on both ends, yet there seemed o be nothing to connect it to.

Throughout their entire discussion he had been looking down at a single piece of the Black Trigger known as Shikifuku.

"By its color... I'm guessing that's the Black Trigger you had mentioned before. Do you know the person who made it?"

"...'Did you know'...not...'Do you know'..."

"Sorry. I don't know too much about Black Triggers. Or their creation. I know the bare minimum, more so because I never had a reason to care too much about them."

"...They are made...by giving up...a life... ...Shikifuku was...created by the...death of my mother..."

"...Oh. Then I really am sorry."

"...It's fine... ...I did not know her... ...I can't be...too sad about it..."

"Right... Well, is something the matter with it then? You said that you can use it. Then you are compatible with it, right? Or is that not the problem?"

"...Everyone is compatible... ...Shikifuku...is not picky... ...It's that...you need 'Willpower' to...use this part... ...So I...will be the...worst at using it... ...That is why...I want it...to be her to use it..."

"If you need 'Willpower' to use it then you should be fine. You can't really say you don't have any when you were fighting like that before. You didn't know we were around and yet you were still fighting. That should be enough, right?"

"...It's...complicated... ...That time... ...I was just being...selfish..."

"It's fine to be selfish at times. Being selfish can give you the 'willpower' to do things. Whether you do it for yourself or for others..."

This was not the time for him to be giving any sort of advice, they both knew that. It may have been because they still had time that brought this kind of conversation up.

No. The reason is hard to explain, but easy to figure out.

Ema let out a sigh through his nose.

Tenryū Shokubutsu had a strange feeling about him. An unsure feeling that created uncertainty in whoever he spoke to, as if he was the manifestation of the word itself. At the same time, it was a feeling that made whoever spoke to him want to get over that uncertainty.

That strange feeling may have been why Ema was able to easily speak to Shobu without much issue, regardless of if they hardly knew each other. It was as if just speaking to the boy was enough to get rid of that uncertainty.

Ema could only think that it was because of that strange feeling that he was fine with Shobu continuing the conversation even after they had finished speaking.

"...Ema-sama... ...May I ask...a question...?"

"Drop the '-sama' and sure."

"...Have you lost something important...?"

It was an easy question to answer.

A mentor.

Ema knew loss well enough to answer without hesitation. Yet he was unsure how to properly answer at the moment. He would never say anything about specifics to someone he barely knew. Giving so little would also be an issue when there was no way of knowing how this person would react.

There was both pain and happiness when it came remember someone you have lost in some way. The pain of remembering could be reduced by thinking of the happier times. The happiness of remembering could always be reduced when thinking about the painful things.

It was a simple question with a simple answer.

He was unsure on how to correctly answer right now. If only because he did not know about this person too much. Even if it seemed fair enough since he had heard about his mother dying, he could not fully bring himself to answer.

So someone else answered for him.

"...Thank you... ...That's enough...for me to know... ...I will never...bring it up...again... ...I am sorry..."

That was a surprise for him. Without saying a single thing, Ema had given an answer without knowing. It may have been because of his silence or because Shobu could read people better than he let out. That did not matter. What mattered was the reason why he had asked that.

Ema felt that strange feeling once more. This time it gave him the answer he needed.

The answer for a reason concerning that question.

"...We are...coming up...to the spot..."

* * *

The asphalt continued on and on and on like a runway. Someone stood further down the road. She wore a black outfit with padding all over the place as if to give her the silhouette of armor. And on top of it all, she had an unnaturally large sword called a claymore hanging down from her hand. It looked like she was holding one of the steel sheets used in construction.

As she walked, the tip of the sword, or rather, the "corner" audibly scraped across the surface of the asphalt.

Her name was Tsukia and her Trigger's name was Ostó.

"So you're my enemy, huh?"

"I'm sure this'll be fun."

Kushikage then heard a voice from behind her. She was standing back to back with her youngest brother who was by far smarter than her.

He was facing a different enemy.

"Sigh. This really is annoying."

Kushikage just gave a laugh as she faced Tsukia, who was still approaching. She started walking up as well.

"Might as well make the most of this."

"Shouldn't you be more focused on just winning instead of having fun?"

"You already know that both of those things are always on my mind."

With a slight sigh, Mukuro turned around to face his enemy as well.

His enemy was Shona. She was one of the Neighbors that seemed to have come to their world without Border taking any notice. Her Trigger was known as Ourá, but only the ones who have faced it before and her own teammates knew that fact. A smile that could be viewed as lively appeared on her face.

"How about we get this started?" she asked.

"Sorry that I kept you waiting. I want to actually end this as well."

"Oh, don't worry about it. I got to see something wonderful, so I'm satisfied. …And it really was wonderful. I wish I had been on your side this time."

"It's not too late."

"I guess that all depends on how this all turns out."

The sound of something slicing through the air could be heard. It was coming from a long, long whip in Shona's hand.

"I am jealous, but surely you understand that this is not a situation where I can act based on my own personal desires."

"My enemy sure is pathetic."

"Hearing that is painful. The sad thing is that I'm not currently in Mikado City to see how everything's going there."

A conflict could not be avoided. That battle between the powerful would spread destruction around the area whether they liked it or not. But if it could be contained to this one area that was nearly deserted, it would at least be better than the worst case scenario where the situation covered multiple areas of the city simultaneously, even those causing the damage had no idea who was getting caught in the middle of it all, and the overall scope was unknown.

"Alright. Let's start… Perform final check. Once it is done, begin output."

As soon as Mukuro muttered those words, his eyes turned from a bored and tired look to a focused look that could put anyone on guard.

His fingertips began emitting a green light. This was his Trion coming out as a type of blade that didn't really cut like one.

Most of the time he would fight using different close combat fighting styles, but he knew that this opponent was strong. So he went all out from the beginning. Also, unlike Minoru, this was more of a long-range fight, meaning distance was key.

Shona simply whistled.

"I see. So you have tricks like that."

"Don't try to say this isn't fair. You probably have a multitude of tricks hidden up those tight sleeves of yours."

As he spoke, Mukuro lightly waved his right hand. Beams of light similar to a blowtorch were emitted from his fingertips. And they grew to 5 meters right away.

Ignoring the noise of the two woman behind him, Mukuro opened his mouth to speak. He had a look of disinterest on his face despite bringing out enough firepower to level a building just by waving his hand like he was shooing away an insect.

"Man... We're talking like if we were in some sort of manga. Not to mention these fights are pretty straightforward. Definetly not what this series should be like. Either way... Let's finish this quickly. I doubt a fight with someone as pathetic as you will be any fun at all."

* * *

Murakami let out a small sigh as Suzunari Branch was freed from the barrier made of Trion that had covered it only a little bit ago. His gratitude was directed towards the two in suits that had just helped them out.

Kuruma Squad had been attacking the barrier relentlessly before they came to the conclusion that it was best not to waste Trion and instead tried their best to figure a way out of this issue.

That had been the time that Tsuji had appeared from above, striking the top of the barrier. He hit the top a total of five times before moving over to allow Inukai to fire a barrage of shots that seemed to destroy something.

The moment the two from Ninomiya Squad touched the ground so did the barrier.

"Thanks for the help."

"No problem! We're just following orders! HQ is cut off, so Akasora-san told us to help out the branches. You should be thanking him really."

"Where is Sensei now?"

"He went off with Ninomiya-san and Yuki to the next city over to see if they could cut the Trion that's supplying the barriers all around. Oh. Let it be known that they were forced to do so and are probably arguing right now."

"I see."

"We can't get to HQ, but Tamakoma, Yagura and Hisama branches seem to be free from the barrier as well."

"Do you think you can find out if anyone's not able to fight anymore?" Kuruma asked, speaking to his squad's Operator.

"Yeah. Give me a second." It didn't take more than a minute for her answer to come. "It looks like a fight had occurred earlier and some others, including our own troublemaker, are out for the time being."

"I have some new information. Awdry is going around to the branches and doing the same as you two. There is also a fight going on between an unknown person and multiple strange Trion Soldiers."

"Whoa~ That many in such a short amount of time. What's more, that person must he something if he is fighting multiple of them," Inukai noted. "At least that means we don't have to go all around the city if Toby is helping everyone else out."

Murakami made sure not to look at anyone as he thought to himself.

There was he had heard about earlier in the day that could pull off fighting multiple Trion Soldiers. That meant he was not hiding anymore and did as he pleased out in the open.

This did bring a question up that he could not answer without asking others.

Why was Tenryū Seidō helping out Mikado City?

"By the way, what's with those things in the sky? I'm guessing they're Neighbors as well."

Murakami blinked before looking up.

Kuruma had asked that question but did not get an answer from the three he was standing with.

Murakami was surprised that he had not noticed them earlier.

"We just got some information from Tamakoma regarding those. Apparently they are Trion Soldiers. Yuki-kun, Director Shinoda and someone else were able to take some out, but they are so high up that it would take quite a bit of Trion to use Grasshopper or Teleport to reach them."

"Just reaching them would be enough for Tsukiko-senpai and Shinoda-san," Tsuji said as he looked up at the flying soldiers.

"You can say that again. Yuki would just need to reach one of them to go on a rampage." Turning back to the one in front of him, Inukai changed the subject. "Well, we're gonna go finish up helping the other branches that haven't gotten out yet. Reaching those in the sky would probably take too long, and they don't seem to be really be doing anything. I'd say to go help out at HQ, but that's just me."

"No, that's a good call," Kuruma said, looking at the blond. "We'll do that while you two help the other branches. The sooner we can get everyone out of the barriers the better."

"Right. Give it your all. We'll be off then."

As the two in suits left, both Inukai and Murakami had the same thought.

I'm just wondering if those two will be able to work together long enough to end this...

* * *

"Tsk. Can't this go any faster? This guy's hot air is leaking from his head."

"Any more of that and I'll make sure you end up in front of one of the trains."

Akasora let out a furstrated sigh as he listened to Ninomiya and Yuki bicker on and on without end. This was inevitable when it came to the two idiots who could not agree on anything other than hating each other. This had been expected, yet Akasora had hoped that some kind of deity would hear his prayers of having the two at least be quiet until they needed to speak.

That may have been asking for something impossible when neither one let up on their childish insults. No, any child would have able to come up with better insults than these two pitiful agents of Border. It had gotten to a point that Akasora was ready to just leave the two and move on ahead.

Deciding he would try to stop them, he made a pointless sharp turn before doing it again to fix his position on the road. He had succeeded in smashing the two into the sides.

"You two brats need to stop. At least wait until we're done with everything to start arguing like idiotic brats."

The two were quiet after that.

Smirking to himself, Akasora continued to drive.

Taking whatever I need to out won't be an issue if I can get to Shikifuku. I won't need more than a single part of it to really work on this issue. That being said... I would need to find Shokubutsu first.

Taking a look to the side, Akasora saw his student looking to the side with a bored expression.

Even at a time like this Yuki did not look like an A-Rank agent ready to fight off Neighbors.

It shouldn't be too much of an issue with this guy around. He could probably cover at least half the city in little time. I'll just rely on him to search for Shokubutsu once we get there. Masataka and I will help out wherever it is that we-"

Akasora's train of thought was cut off by the ringing of a phone.

It was his.

Since he was not in his Trion Body it meant that he had everyone he usually had on him at the ready. That included his phone.

Giving a look towards Yuki again he let his student answer the call and put it on speaker for them all to hear.

"Chishi, get back here! Now!"

"What? We're already halfway to the city. We can't go back right now!"

"Just get back here! Let the other two handle the next city! Seidō has Shikifuku!"

There was a screech as the car came to a sudden halt. Ninomiya and Yuki were slammed into the side once more.

"What!? How the fuck did he get Shikifuku!? Shokubutsu should have it right now!"

"I don't know. From what I can see... He's fighting some strange Neighbors and using 'Knowledge' to deal with them. I'm guessing he doesn't have 'Emotion' or 'Willpower' otherwise the Neighbor wouldn't be faring so well."

"Shit... This is my fault. I should have known that Shokubutsu wouldn't handle taking all of Shikifuku with him... Alright. Masafumi, go to Yagura and look in my personal room. If I know that kid well enough, he should have left another part of Shikifuku there. Seidō probably got the one from my office..."

"Got it. Hurry up and get back here. He seems to be opposing the current attackers on Mikado City but..."

"Yeah. We don't know if he will do anything else afterwards. Okay then. I'll hall ass to get back."

Akasora let out another frustrated sigh as he violently opened the door and slammed it back. He turned to the two in the car while turning on his Trigger. His usual track suit had changed colors, showing that he was in a Trion Body.

This was not something he wanted to do when it came to Ninomiya and Yuki but figured this was their best bet.

"Masataka! Take over the driving! Yuki! Get ready to deal with any incoming attacks! Make sure to meet up with Mei!"

The two watched as the older man ran in the direction they had just came from, using Teleport and Grasshopper to make things quicker. They looked at each other for a moment and tried their hardest to keep certain comments from coming out.

They both did as they were told with Ninomiya taking the driver's seat and Yuki taking the passenger's while being on guard.

* * *

In a subway tunnel, the white rhinoceros beetle weapons created from Pyrínas' Trion were glaring at each other and aiming their cannons at each other.

They fired without hesitation.

They fired again and again.

Six of them acted as pursuers. The remaining one was the traitor that was protecting Satori, Mitsubachi, and the others. Not only did the pursuers outnumber the lone beetle, but they only needed to kill the humans within the tunnel. It did not matter if Rhinoceros Beetle 07 resisted or not; the pursuers could crush their targets' organs by filling the tunnel with the shockwaves of their blasts.

But...

The same could be said for Rhinoceros Beetle 07's side.

They did not need to defeat the other six beetles. Rhinoceros Beetle 07's primary objective was to allow Satori Ken, Sthénos, Kitora Ai, Michelle, Stepney, and Mitsubachi to escape the tunnel and distance them from the threat to their lives.

And so...

"Brace for impact," said Rhinoceros Beetle 07.

A simultaneous attack was carried out by the six beetles that had decided killing Michelle and those around her was the best method to carry out their objective of taking the Trion they needed to continue working. They were not aiming for direct hits. Instead, they were firing the shells at the ground just in front of their target to fill every nook and cranny of the tunnel with a shockwave wall.

Normally thinking, this was not something a flesh-and-blood human could withstand.

Even if Rhinoceros Beetle 07 acted as a shield for Satori and the others, the shockwave would fill the entire area to swallow them up and crush their organs from within. Even with Trion Bodies, it meant that the three children would not survive.

But...

Rhinoceros Beetle 07 vibrated its giant thin wings at high speed to create an artificial voice. It was not trying to speak. The vibration it scattered through the air struck the coming shockwave and forcibly altered its direction.

"What...did they mess up? My ears don't hurt."

"I sent a wave of my own towards their wave. It cannot be seen so it may be difficult to understand, but a shockwave can easily be influenced like a billiards ball using other waves or obstacles."

Several hurdles had to be overcome before that theory could actually be pulled off.

The beetle had to accurately repel or turn aside the shockwave and the fragments of the shell and ground created in the explosion to keep them away from those it wished to protect.

"(Is this still using it? It feels more like actual tanks than anything else.)"

"Are you talking about a Trigger?" asked Kitora.

"I used a theoretical routine based on our potential enemy's actions, but I doubt I would be able to achieve the level of an actual Trigger. Our shells are unsuited to killing a target using the secondary effects such as the shockwave."

"?"

"Because my body is made entirely out of Trion, I have no means of creating the gunpowder needed to fire or detonate a shell. A spring system is used to fire the shells. It is said that in the past, a 'strange' weapon reinforced with the power of Trion competed for market share with a shoulder-fired launcher. The shells detonated by breaking the hardened outer coating with sponge springs, so their acoustic effect was only 36% to 50% that of the normal shell. I conclude that is the reason my evasive actions have been successful. ...Meanwhile, a real Trigger would likely have no problem handling another attack." Rhinoceros Beetle 07 continued to use its giant wings to produce sound waves outside of the audible range to repel the shockwaves while using any gaps to produce its artificial voice. "There is a worker's exit 15 meters behind us. On my signal, I will create a wall by making the ceiling collapse and you will run for the exit."

The beetle had no intention of defeating their opponents.

For one thing, all of the rhinoceros beetles were strange weapons created by Pyrínas' Trion. They had no "core" or "weak point" to speak of and they would automatically heal any part that was destroyed. The one exception was Rhinoceros Beetle 07 who had made an "interpretation" that opposed the will of Pyrínas himself.

Satori turned around to check on the location of the small metal door.

Sparks flew and the door burst open. Most likely, Rhinoceros Beetle 07 had skillfully turned aside the shockwave of the enemies' shells to break the lock.

"Now," said the beetle.

"O-okay!"

It began with an obvious explosive noise.

Rhinoceros Beetle 07's cannon barrel moved and fired a shell at the ceiling. The ceiling collapsed around the other four beetles.

"Satori-senpai, run!" shouted Kitora.

While practically carrying Stepney and Michelle, Satori ran through the ominously shaking tunnel. Mitsubachi was being pulled along while hand in hand with Kitora. Each time Rhinoceros Beetle 07 fired again to hold the other beetles in check, the tough tunnel ground seemed to sway like a ship in a storm.

Sthénos charged through the worker's door first, Michelle and Stepney came next as Satori pushed them along, and Kitora and Mitsubachi made it last. Sthénos grabbed Mitsubachi's other hand to help Kitora pull her through the door.

Once it saw all of them had evacuated, Rhinoceros Beetle 07 moved backwards to slam into the worker's door.

But the door was too small.

It slammed into the door with enough force to dent the wall around it, but it was unable to squeeze through the narrow exit.

Satori's eyes opened wide.

"What are you doing!?"

"Do not worry. This is part of my plan." With its back end slightly crushed, Rhinoceros Beetle 07 sat in the doorway like a giant stone blocking the way as it moved its thin wings to produce an artificial voice "Since I have left Pyrínas' control, I can no longer renew my Trion. In the near future, I will break apart. Also, our shells are unable to destroy fellow beetles. The only way to escape from these enemies that can regenerate infinitely is to block their path in some way."

"This bastard."

Satori almost yelled his comment out loud.

_For nothing but a weapon, he's got a lot of nerve to lie and put on a show of being tough._

"Hurry up! Your shells are powerful enough to destroy this wall, right!?" he shouted instead.

"That would allow the enemy beetles to continue pursuit. Also, if I can destroy it, so can they. They will soon free themselves of the wreckage. I have determined something more is needed to act as the 'wall' that blocks their way."

"...Dammit."

"Good luck. I will make sure to carry out my primary objective. Take care."

"God dammit!"

Just as Satori let out that curse, the entire area shook ominously. The enemy rhinoceros beetles had blown away the pile of rubble. They now began firing on their fellow weapon that was unable to evade if it was to block their path.

It had no escape.

It would never end.

Using its ability to regenerate to a certain extent even while outside of the Trion Soldier's control, it could only continue the tragic shootout without end like a zombie even as its body was crushed further and further.

The joint of the building materials must have been shaken because a powder sprinkled down from the ceiling.

Kitora pointed towards the staircase up and out of the subway tunnel with her chin.

"We have no idea how long this will stop them. We need to head to the surface."

"But...!" started Satori, but Sthénos grabbed his hand.

In a quiet but clear voice, she said, "Let's go. It cannot escape even if we stay behind."

Satori gritted his teeth.

But it was true they would eventually be killed if they stuck around.

While only half able to brush aside his reluctance, Satori ran up the narrow worker's staircase. Sthénos and Kitora followed him. At the top of the metal staircase was a door. It was locked, but it was only meant to keep people out. In other words, they could easily unlock it from the inside. After doing so, they charged outside.

Kitora looked up into the sky while holding a hand up to cover the bright light of the sun.

"It looks like that man has moved elsewhere."

"But that doesn't mean we're safe. Dammit, we need to call Arashiyama-san or Toki..."

Satori trailed off.

Sthénos with her pink hair was looking around with a puzzled expression.

After looking in the direction she was looking, Satori finally realized something.

"Wait...where did Mitsubachi go!?"

"It looks like Awdry...is gone too. Along with that other girl."

.

In that moment, the white Rhinoceros Beetle 07 was not even attempting to move from its spot blocking the door in the subway tunnel even while receiving a fierce bombardment from the other beetles. Errors were constantly popping up over the discrepancy with the theoretical ideal evasive and tactical actions, but it forced all of that down and remained on the course of protecting the humans.

It was still firing shells to hold the other beetles at bay and vibrating its thin wings to interfere with the vectors of the shockwaves filling the tunnel.

But it was not enough.

The humans hiding behind it were a much smaller target to protect than the entire wall around the door that needed to remain intact to prevent the fleeing humans from being buried. And of course, the wider the area it had to protect, the harder it was to do so.

Several cracks had appeared on its smooth white surface.

It did not feel pain like a living being.

It was less concerned about the destruction of its own body by the relentless bombardment than it was about receiving too much damage to recover from in time and allowing the other beetles past. It did not want to make any predictive calculations concerning the scene of being unable to move and only able to watch as the enemy beetles headed past and brought danger back to the humans who had supposedly escaped.

It could not avoid being overwhelmed.

As the damage piled up, it quickly overcame the speed at which it could be regenerated. Whether Rhinoceros Beetle 07 liked it or not, it would eventually be left unable to function and the wall behind it would be destroyed.

But the humans would have fled far away by that time.

The threat of the other beetles would not reach them.

The beetle could not win and no amount of wearing down the enemy beetles could change that.

Any normal calculations would leave only the word "impossible" to describe the situation, but Rhinoceros Beetle 07 gave its all to protect that door.

The shells continued to fly.

Cracks ran through its surface around its red glowing eyes.

It checked the time.

It decided it had bought enough time. The humans would have arrived at the surface by then.

It had carried out its mission.

It recognized this fact.

Rhinoceros Beetle 07 also recognized that its body would be completely crushed after receiving 5 or 6 more shells, but it dug its 6 legs into the concrete ground to maintain its defensive position.

But…

"(You need to run too!)"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah! We won't seriously let you stay behind!"

"We won't...let you sacrifice yourself!"

When the white Rhinoceros Beetle 07 heard those voices, it felt like its body had suddenly shrunk down in size. An organic life form with a normal construction of muscles and internal organs would likely express it as feeling like one's heart was being squeezed.

It could only buy a short amount of time.

Once the other beetles wore Rhinoceros Beetle 07 down to the point they could make it past, those children would be torn apart right away.

_This is not over yet!_

It did not take long for the beetle to make up its mind.

Rhinoceros Beetle 07 moved its body slightly away from the door. It created enough of a gap for the small children to come back into the tunnel.

"This way!" it shouted. "We need to escape. Please hurry!"

Rhinoceros Beetle 07 ignored the children who began trying to climb on top of its body for some reason and began vibrating its large thin wings at a set amplitude.

As soon as it did, Michelle, Stepney and Mitsubachi's bodies began floating in midair.

"Nyawah!? This is seriously like a spacewalk!"

"Are you making us float with the vibration? I read something like this from our library!"

"The high frequency waves outside of the audible range are causing resonant vibrations in the extra space of the material of your clothes. It may be more similar to the way a flying fish glides through the air by beating its tail fin against the water surface than it is how a bird or insect flies using its wings."

The children may have not completely understood the situation because they let out screams of delight as they floated. Meanwhile, Rhinoceros Beetle 07 took action for a retreat.

While the other beetles continued their close range bombardment, it moved backwards deeper into the tunnel.

Naturally, the enemy beetles immediately reacted.

They could continue their bombardment even at a fair distance. They had likely determined that blowing away the traitor and sending it rolling through the tunnel would be enough to crush the targets floating above it.

But they never actually fired the shells to carry out this plan.

Based on the systematic vibrations they felt in the tips of their six legs, they immediately took evasive action.

In other words, they had determined that something was likely approaching.

"...?"

But even after 30 seconds had passed, something did not appear.

And then another possibility finally floated up in their minds.

The fleeing traitor could be travelling while striking the subway track in a pattern identical to the vibration of a train.

.

After moving backwards through the tunnel at tremendous speed for a certain distance, Rhinoceros Beetle 07 decided it had made it far enough away. While still remaining wary of the darkness, it turned 180 degrees and began moving at full speed in the same direction as before.

And then a change occurred to the back of the beetle.

The children floating above it were doing something.

To be specific, they had begun drawing something with a pen on the surface of the opened armor plate.

"Huh, huh. There are seriously a lot of you, so things will get confusing if we don't give you some kind of mark."

"(What is that? Those weird scribbles.)"

"This is the mark of our own team!"

"I'm sorry, Beetle. I didn't think they would both be on for drawing on you..."

Rhinoceros Beetle 07 appreciated the sentiment but wished they would at least use something other than a permanent marker.

* * *

They were both biting their tongues to keep any comments in.

Tsukiko Yuki and Ninomiya Masataka were trying their best to pretend like the other did not exist at all. They both had their heads turned in a way that prevented them from. Seeing eCh other.

As he was looking around, Yuki noticed something as they crossed a rather long bridge with tracks right under it.

"Hey... N-... Ni-... Masataka... Phew... Got that out... Anyways, I'm sure you know I hate asking you things, but do you know if those tracks are always open?" The two could feel the ground rumble a bit, meaning that the large vehicle was heading their way. "I know it goes through a mountain, but is that all?"

"I wish I had recorded that..." Ninomiya muttered. "It switches. From the station we just passed to Mikado City it is in plain sight, but from here on it goes through multiple tunnels. Each have varying heights in their ceiling. That was made to ward off robbers... Why?"

As he turned his head, Ninomiya saw the sight of Yuki looking ready to jump from the car and onto the tracks.

"What are you-"

"There's a train heading this way! There's no way they wouldn't have someone move around to see how things are going if their communication went out!" Yuki yelled over the wind that was hitting him as he waited for the right moment.

They could both hear the loud roar of the engine making their way.

Ninomiya was about to poke a hole in that logic by adding that the A-Rank didn't even know if that was the correct train, but did notice a figure on top of said train. He had to let out a sigh as Yuki quickly jumped from the car and into the train.

"What an idiot."

* * *

Yuki landed on the top of the train's roof as it rushed through the mountain tunnel. He slowly stood up as the car unsteadily shook back and forth. The train was made up of five different cars and it was not even 100 meters long.

As Yuki got ready to fight, a blond girl with what seemed to be a crown made of metal on her spoke through a phone as if giving commands while a human-like soldier stood next to her. However, a smile could be seen on her face thanks to the slight illumination from the fluorescent lights that seemed to flow in the opposite direction of the train.

"This is your maker, Sanshū. Don't hurt the civilians or anyone in a Trion body, try not to damage the buildings and pull back when the opponents have done their own retreat."

With the loud sound of the train around them, Yuki couldn't make everything out and so misinterpreted it, putting him a little on edge.

The girl put the phone away and looked directly at him while touching her crown. She was not running away and she was not being forced back. She was going to attack using whatever Trigger it was that she had. And once she had finished, the girl slowly swung her palm.

"Génnisi."

As soon as she said those words, the girl's clothing was replaced with a tight, black outfit with a transparent dress over it. The crown still stood on her head.

She lifted her head and pointed one finger at Yuki, who brought up Idōgetsu to defend.

"Get him, Man."

The effect was instantaneous.

The human-like soldier next to Sanshū ran forward, not caring that the roof of the tunnel hardly gave them any room. As a matter of fact, with the human-like soldier being at least twice Yuki's size his head was scraping the ceiling of the tunnel.

Yuki waisted no time in blocking it then slicing it in half.

_Damn! Teleport is a no-go while on a train... Guess I didn't really think it over that much... Whatever. It got me away from that airhead._

"5%. Sturdy. Make/ /Leo."

A small core that was found in a Trion soldier appeared in the girl's hand. She tossed it in front of herself and grinned as the image of an unfinished graphic lion appeared around the core.

Yuki started to take action to cut the core, but the human-like soldier he had cut before grabbed his legs and managed to hold him in place.

A circle, one like someone would see on a computer as it scanned an item, went over the lion before seeming to materialize the new mechanical beast in front of the two.

With a glittering core on its forehead, the lion gave a tremendous roar and charged toward Yuki.

As the lion drew closer, Yuki got his weapon ready. A crescent blade made of Trion appeared on the pointed end of Idōgetsu. He swung the blade and managed to hit the lion, but only to push the beast back.

He couldn't cut it.

He had aimed at the core, but it seemed that it was protected by a small barrier.

The lion went in for yet another attack, but was quickly taken out as the core on the forehead had been smashed to pieces while still on the forehead.

Forgoing his blade, Yuki now held what seemed to be a large ball made of Trion that was attacked to the double-arm length pole that had both a blunt end and a pointed one.

Yuki's weapon was Idōgetsu, a powerful Trigger only used by him, so he had to approach Sanshū who was backing away.

However…

"10%. Speed. Make/ /Rise. 10%. Power. Make/ /Blaze."

In the time it took Yuki to destroy the lion, Sanshū had already thrown two new cores into the air. They were 'scanned' as two birds - falcons to be exact - that quickly materialized and charged at Yuki from the right and left.

"Damn!"

Yuki had already grasped the overall situation. He had tried to destroy them using Asteroid, but ended up missing as they had dodged.

Sanshū could produce soldiers faster than Yuki could destroy them while on a train. In the time it took him to cut one, she would produce two. In the time it took him to smash two, she would bring out four. In the time it took him to destroy four, she would create thirteen. Her mass production would continue on and on.

"10%. Power. Make/ /Warrior. 10%. Power. Make/ /Warrior. 10%. Power. Make/ /Warrior. 10%. Speed. Make/ /Stallion. 10%. Speed. Make/ /Squirrel."

_You have got to be kidding me!_

Three large men stood before him. A horse stood with them while a mass of muscles that looked like a squirrel chased after the others, causing them to charge in a frenzy toward Yuki. It was not much different from having the quickly-rotating blades of a lawnmower or shield machine approaching him. They mowed down and cut down everything in their path as they advanced.

"Sigh... This sucks."

The sound of something hard being hit reverberated loudly throughout the tunnel. As it did, the Neghbor let out a whistle before bending over and laughing while showing no concern for the danger she had appeared to be in.

"Ah ha ha! Amazing. Simply amazing. I never thought you would crush my surefire method like that!"

Deciding he would think more strategically, Yuki noticed something about the ones attacking him head-on.

They were all close to each other.

He quickly got rid of the Squirrel with Asteroid and used his Idōgetsu to smash the first human-like soldier coming at him with a good amount of power. That was all he needed for them all to fall like dominos before having their cores destroyed by a single shot.

They all quickly rolled off the train's top and onto the limited amount of ground that was provide between the train and the tunnel wall.

Yuki took the chance and ran forward while taking out the two falcon-like soldiers.

Sanshū responded by throwing a core.

"10%. Power. Make/ /Man…Uh, oh."

The young-looking girl bent her back and crouched down. Yuki frowned slightly at that action that made it seem like she was giving up, but then…

"What the..."

The large man that had been "scanned" by Sanshū collapsed as if his head had been struck by a hammer. Seeing that, Yuki finally caught on.

The tunnel ceiling just got a lot lower! Seriously!? Right now!?

He crouched down as quickly as he could.

The top half of the large man's head had been crushed, he lost his balance, and he fell off the train and onto the ground.

Sanshū giggled while still bent over. Despite the darkness, she somehow had an accurate grasp of how high up the ceiling was. She straightened her back once more and scattered a large number of cores.

_No time to waste!_

Yuki sprang up from his crouching position and ran forward.

Meanwhile, Sanshū repeated the same thing.

"10%. Power. Make/ /Warrior. 10%. Power. Make/ /Warrior. 10%. Power. Make/ /Warrior. 10%. Power. Make/ /Warrior."

Multiple large man-like soldiers appeared.

However, the variation from before was gone. That may have shown she did not have the leeway for creativity now that Yuki was closer than before.

And when the exact same type of soldier charged down a limited route with the exact same movement pattern, Yuki had a much easier time dealing with them. They did not fly around like birds and ignore the footing. They did not crawl along the walls of the train like snakes and circle around behind him. If they all charged at him at once, he would have an easier time of causing another domino effect.

"This isn't a kind of fight I think any agent has had before."

Yuki readied his heavy-hitting Trigger as he charged toward the large man-like soldiers.

However, Sanshū grinned in her dress and flicked a single core up with her thumb.

"1%. Absorb. Make/ /Boar."

As she spoke, the "scanning" produced a boar behind the soldiers and closer to Sanshū. Yuki was cautious, but it was smaller than the soldiers. And more importantly, the soldiers filled up so much of the limited space on the train that the Boar would not be able to move properly. Once he began the domino effect, the Boar would be struck by the other soldiers before it could reach him. If it fell to the ground, that was the end of it. But even if it remained on the roof, he could destroy it with one good hit from Idōgetsu while it could not move. Either way, it would not be much of an obstacle.

At least that's what he thought. This was complelty wrong in every way.

Sanshū pointed her index finger forwards and made an announcement, "Take them."

Yuki went wided eyed as the Boar went forward and took the man-like soldiers' cores before "eating" it and incorporating it into it's body.

Another "scanning" went on with the Boar as it "ate" the cores.

"-1%. Devour. Strength/ /Boar."

_This isn't even something you would see around here! Is this really a Trigger!?_

Yuki could not let that boar continue to eat those soldiers. He had a feeling the situation would change in some definitive way if it got any larger. He had to eliminate the boar's food before anything bad happened.

"That's it, my baby Boar. Keep on growin'!"

Before Yuki could do anything, the Boar had taken the cores and didn't seem like it would give them back.

The boar had grown too big as it almost crushed the train car below it. It seemed to fill the entire half circle space of the tunnel. Its body was constantly scraping against the walls rushing by at high speed, but it did not seem to be taking damage. In fact, the tunnel was noticeably being destroyed.

Yuki went forward while firing Asteroid and getting his Idōgetsu ready for either a slice or a smash.

_With so many cores in it... This'll be stupidly difficult._

"Ahhaha!" laughed Sanshū. Not even the top of her hair was visible from behind the giant boar. "I know you probably don't chat while fighting, but why don't we get to know each other?"

"Like you just said, girl, I don't want to talk while I fight."

"Fine, fine. Let's just get you out of your Trion body for now." Just as she said that, the giant boar that filled the entire empty space of the tunnel attacked like an approaching wall.

"Screw this..."

No matter how powerful the opponent, Yuki knew he had the skills to win. He had fought with different agents and multiple Trion soldiers that this seemed like just another step up. In fact, the larger the target, the easier it was to hit. This could even be called a chance to make a comeback.

He didn't plan for what would happen next though.

As the boar charged, Yuki's feet floated up from the train's roof and he was blown backwards.

When a train arrived at one of the the platforms, an odd gust of wind blew through the station. The large mass of the train passing through that sealed space pushed the air like a piston.

The giant boar that had the same name as it's type did the same.

It had grown so large it filled the entire upper portion of the tunnel and scraped against the concrete tunnel walls. Naturally, a mass of air with nowhere to escape would be sent straight into Yuki when a large anything rushed stright ahead like that.

_I refuse to believe a Trigger can produce something like this! Boar shit!_

Having been in mid-air fight before, Yuki quickly straightened himself, but couldn't do much as Boar continued charging toward him at an even greater speed than he flew backwards. If he continued to be pushed by that explosive gust of wind, he would be knocked off the back of the train. If the giant boar touched him, he would be be forced back into his real body.

That was bad on its own as he was prone to getting sick at the worse times imaginable.

"Will Idōgetsu even be enough at this point?"


	5. Knowledge - Protection_of_Wisdom

Mikado City was in a state of disarray. There was no doubt about that.

Groups of people crowed together in multiple areas for seemingly no reason. Strange falcon-like Neighbors hung over the entire city. Multiple buildings near the Forbidden Zone were encased in cubes made of Trion. White rhinoceros beetles were traveling underground while their control was fighting against a Black Trigger.

It was no just Mikado Ctiy that was having issue. This extended to the next city over, which was also encased inside a dome of Trion that covered the entire area.

Amidst the chaos throughout the city were two people who seemed unaffected by it all.

"Do we really have to wait~? I really, really, really wanted to get one of those 'hotdogs' again~"

"Sir, please focus."

"But we aren't even fighting~ Everyone else is busy and it doesn't help that the agents would have to deal with all the Rise in the sky. By the way, why did she send out Ultimate in the first place? I thought she was nitpicky when it comes to the 'percentage' of each one."

One of the people was a handsome man in his late teens to early twenties. His general appearance was as normal as one could possibly get with his clothes and color of hair being that of anyone else in Mikado City. He was Futoyuki, the current leader of a group known as the Wanderers.

Next to him was an older man.

Futoyuki spoke to the man in a carefree tone.

Hatomi let out a frustrated sigh. Even with all his years of experience he could not handle his leader's impatient attitude and so chose to just ignore it altogether. He cared for his leader dearly, but everything had a limit, and he was quickly reaching his. Leaving the area entirely came to mind, but he knew that what they were doing was a requirement for them, so he always kept his mouth shut.

Futoyuki on the other hand found the whole thing pointless and a waist of resources. While he could always just say "Hey, why don't we just stop? As a matter of fact, let's go about this a different way, 'kay!?" he listened to what the others of his group had to say and took into consideration what they thought.

Not to mention he always thought he could get some good fights in.

While the two waited for whatever it was they were waiting for, they had taken note that another branch had been freed from the Trion barriers they had set up.

They had to admit that their test was bringing in good results.

"If you want, I can tell you the possible outcomes for all of this."

The two turned around to see a certain brown haired Border agent standing there with a grin in place. They both seemed relaxed, but still had their guard up.

"Now, now, no need for that. You aren't really here for a full out confirmation. At least that's what my Side Effect is telling me." Hopping down to the lower building, Jin kept his eyes on the two. "Foresight is a wonderful thing when you're trying to keep people safe."

"Oh~ So you can see the future~!? So coooooooooooool~~!" Futoyuki started at Jin with an awestruck expression. "Hey, hey, hey! So does that mean you can put up a great fight!?"

"And that knocks off three possible futures."

"Awesome! Let's start!"

Jin brought out two blades and got ready for the fight as the younger looking one of the two Neighbors pulled something out of his pocket. It looked like a regular black wristwatch you could find and buy at any store you vist. The only thing was that there was no time, or even any type numbers, on it.

It was just all plain black.

Meaning it was beyond the level of a regular Trigger.

"Let's get started! I wanna see if you can last long!"

"And if I do?"

"... Ah! I'll tell you everything about our plan! You said you can see different futures, right!? Well we'll give you a definite answer!"

"Sir! You can't just-"

"Ah! But can you keep it a secret then!? Oh wait... Then there would be no point in telling you... I know! If you can last 5 minutes then I will release one area that's been trapped! How does that sound!? And every 5 minutes you last, I'll release another area!"

"Futoyuki!"

"Okay~ You have a deal."

"Great!"

Futoyuki got an excited smile on his face as he held out the completely plain black wristwatch-looking Trigger.

"Prosforá!"

* * *

As the white Rhinoceros Beetle 07 floated Michelle, Stepney and Mitsubachi above it like a skydiving training device, it moved from the complexly intersecting subway tunnels, through large scale city heating pipes and multipurpose drains used for flood prevention, and finally to an underground pathway that was under construction. From there, they headed out the exit and to the surface that was overflowing with sunlight.

Normally, a giant beetle would probably have caused a commotion, but chaos was underway. Multiple things were going on at the moment and there was almost no one around the area to even notice them in the first place. It was not a place that was considered "safe" meaning the crowds of people did not gravitate towards it like many other places. Even Border agents did not seem to be in the area or they would have surely started attacking Rhinoceros Beetle 07 and taken the children away from it.

But they could not just stay there forever.

Rhinoceros Beetle 07's creator was receiving full-scale support from the Wanderers' ship, which had been able to connect to parts of Mikado City. If he had free use of the cameras and sensors around the city, he would be able to spot that large beetle moving through the city.

The beetle had few options.

The first option was to allow the children to take advantage of their small size and escape via some small area such as a ventilation duct. Once they did, Rhinoceros Beetle 07 could go elsewhere and cause a commotion as a diversion.

The second option was to be constantly moving around at high speed and not using any one hiding spot. Even if their location was detected using the cameras or sensors, they could hide their presence by always moving elsewhere before anyone could rush to their location.

Rhinoceros Beetle 07 stopped temporarily at an impromptu basketball court made from an empty lot between buildings. While still keeping the children floating above it, the beetle also changed the amplitude of its giant wings to produce an artificial voice to begin explaining the situation.

Both options were risky, but the white Rhinoceros Beetle 07 had decided the former was less so. In the former option, the children could move through areas with no cameras or sensors while the latter option required them to be exposed to the cameras and sensors.

But...

"Hey, hey! Are you still seriously saying that!? In the first place, I can never abandon you now that you have the mark of our own team!"

"We can manage somehow if all four of us are together, so don't worry. I'll even puff out my chest to show my determination!"

Rhinoceros Beetle 07 had no say in the decision. Shoving the children into a narrow duct or a dumpster would be meaningless if they would simply follow the beetle as it tried to create a diversion.

Even if it was more of a risk, the beetle had to act alongside the children.

Rhinoceros Beetle 07 immediately changed its line of thought.

"The three of you are being pursued by several different enemies, but I suggest we give those enemies an order of priority and act based on that."

"Hm, what enemies?"

"Currently, there are two major enemies... The first is the force made up of my colleagues...that is, the weapons created by the Wanderers' best Trion Soldier... But while this force is incredibly powerful, I can easily estimate what their actions will be... After all, I am a part of it... I simply have to think about what I would do in a given situation..."

That could also work against them as the enemy could estimate their actions the same way, but it was better than nothing.

At the very least, the situation would not turn deadly the very instant they happened across that force.

And on that note...

"The more dangerous enemy is Pyrínas... I do not know how powerful that man that is fighting Pyrínas is, so the risk of a surprise attack is exceedingly high..."

Only the general idea of that man had been memorized within Rhinoceros Beetle 07.

It took the estimated derivative information of that data and converted it into words.

"Pyrínas is a Trion Soldier that ecloses due to acquired information... He has come up with a way to gather massive amounts of information faster than observing it with his normal five senses... He wishes to take control of any sort of knowledge to strengthen the Pyrínas System that creates us... Large amounts of Trion are also needed for something like this to be pulled off..."

"Huh?"

Mitsubachi gave a blank look, but Michelle and Stepney fell into a deep silence.

"That network uses identical brainwaves and it can be felt as long as one has a means of sending signals... For example, my body is equipped with an antenna that uses the structure of the ampullae of Lorenzini that sharks use to find their prey... But..."

"Is it the same as how you cannot receive a TV signal by sticking a metal pole up into the air? I'm just asking for confirmation."

"Yes, you need a program to act as a decoder. The most suitable person for that is the girl next to you as she has a high amount of Trion and most likely as a Side Effect that can distribute information...or rather, have an involvement that allows for information to be gathered... Yes, you... By consuming you completely, he hopes to access the Side Effect you most likely have so he has a way to gain more knowledge..."

"(Consume...do you mean eat?)"

"What?! They can do stuff like that!? That is seriously creepy!"

Rhinoceros Beetle 07 hoped they were right.

But it doubted they were.

The data it had been given said those that girl had been able to understand others through unknown means.

And that seemed to happen more so when a person seemed to be thinking about something to themselves.

"Pyrínas is not being driven by reason, desires, urges, or instinct...contrary to what I just said... This is nothing more than a function... And for that reason, it is powerful... Just as someone who uses their cell phone calculator forgets how to do simple arithmetic in their head and someone who uses their cell phone's input method editor forget how to write kanji, this new function has forcibly changed his way of life... Pyrínas's own thought patterns are of no consequence... Even if he tries to stop himself, this function will overcome him..."

He had been a Trion Soldier created by the former leader of the Wanderers and worked on by the current members of the Wanderers.

He was now approaching using the fastest method available to him in order to devour a small girl's head.

To be blunt, Rhinoceros Beetle 07 had determined it was unlikely it could stop Pyrínas' advance even if it was able to attack in any way it wanted. Firing countless shells, charging at him with its giant body, stabbing at him with its thick horn... The beetle could think of countless ways of doing great damage, but it could see no way that would stop him.

The beetle had a mental image of his legs continuing inexorably forward even if his head was blown off, his core crushed, or his entire upper body ripped off.

Rhinoceros Beetle 07 itself was a weapon with no weak point. It was made to eventually regenerate any damage and regain freedom of movement even if it took some time.

But Pyrínas was a bit different.

Rhinoceros Beetle 07 had a nice proportional relationship between the amount of damage done and the time needed to regenerate, but no such relationship could be seen in Pyrínas.

The beetle would be unable to move for a while if it was heavily damaged, but Pyrínas could continue the attack with zero time lag even when heavy damage was done.

It was a subtle difference, but Rhinoceros Beetle 07 was able to understand exactly what it meant like an artisan who had reached a certain level of skill.

Ideally, they would never meet him.

That was Rhinoceros Beetle 07's conclusion.

Facing him would be like playing an extended game of poker against an opponent that had an infinite amount of money to bet. The slightest mistake would bankrupt you. You would never last if you kept at it.

Luckily, Pyrínas was busy fighting with Tenryū Seidō.

He could not turn his back on the fight or there really would be consequences.

It would raise the risk of being captured by Border, but they could set a hurdle obstructing him path simply by travelling along building walls or moving from rooftop to rooftop. The beetle could use the special characteristics of its insect-based form to their fullest.

But as Rhinoceros Beetle 07 was thinking that...

"Yup. If that's the case, we need to seriously help him!"

"Right. This just means we will also help in protecting Michelle while finding a way to help Pyrínas."

Their thoughts had shot off in a completely different direction.

The answer the beetle had come to based on its many different decisions had been completely blown away.

As Rhinoceros Beetle 07 fell into a confused state like a machine that had lost track its current coordinate position due to electromagnetic interference, the three children spoke.

"(After all, you said this doesn't have anything to do with his thoughts. That means it isn't his fault. I don't get all this hard stuff about functions or whatever, but we can't overlook this if he's being forced to do it.)"

"I knows what it is like... I know how painful it is to be made to do something you don't want to for someone else's gain due to someone else," says Stepney tapping his temple with his index finger. "We can't let this happen. If that is happening to someone, we have to help them."

Because he was suffering.

Because they wanted to save him.

Because someone was hurting.

Because.

The white Rhinoceros Beetle 07 fell silent when it saw that those children would act based on such small reasons despite knowing their lives would be at risk if they were actually attacked. The beetle analyzed why its carefully calculated thought process had not been valid. In addition to the standard logical thought process, Rhinoceros Beetle 07 had also obtained the ability to produce signal patterns modeled after simple human emotions. It began to investigate why it had been unable to predict how those children would feel.

It came to a likely conclusion:

Because they possessed real hearts.

They put emotions above logic. They put their wishes above calculations. Even if it was foolish, that may have been what a real human heart was. Even if it was ridiculous, it was something precious that no one could laugh at.

In that case, Rhinoceros Beetle 07 had no choice but to go along with it.

The answer those children had come to was something precious, noble, and beautiful. But at the same time, it was immature, dangerous, and would likely lead to failure. And so something was needed to bridge the gap between the ideal and reality. Before Michelle, Stepney and Mitsubachi could save anyone with that answer, something was needed to break through the risks of reality.

That irregular beetle that had left its creator Pyrínas' control was unlikely to have much of a future.

Its fate was to be pursued by its master Pyrínas - the one that they were both avoiding as well as helping - with nowhere to return to and no new goal point. Its fate was to be rejected as an outsider or a rampaging weapon by all other organizations and groups.

So...

It would at least make sure to return these three children to the place they had come from. If it was normal to risk one's life for someone in their world, the beetle would give priority to their way of doing things. And so it would not just view it as an objective to work at; it would make sure to perfectly accomplish it no matter what.

And that would also give meaning to the fact that it had left its master's control.

"Understood," said the white Rhinoceros Beetle 07 using its giant wings as it felt great inner distress over how great a risk it estimated this to be. "We will escape Pyrínas pursuit and also work to save Pyrínas. Is that okay?"

"(That's what it means to be people!)" Michelle said as she banged her palm against Rhinoceros Beetle 07's open armor plate while floating in midair.

"Right! I wouldn't expect any other answer from a member of our team. Doing your best is great, but never forget that we all have to return home together!"

Rhinoceros Beetle 07 lacked the ability to create expressions using the muscles of the face.

But it felt that was for the best.

It appreciated the children's promise, but it doubted it could live up to that.

* * *

Willpower, emotions and knowledge were three basic and essential parts of life that created what was known as a human being. They were easy to understand, yet they were also difficult to describe. People might be able to explain them in basic terms, but there were always underlining meanings to things.

A person could have an outstanding amount of willpower, yet be very shy.

A person could have an abundance of emotions, yet choose not to feel them.

A person could have more knowledge than anyone else, yet still be an idiot.

If someone were to use their willpower, emotions and knowledge at all times it would mean they would be a perfect example of what it take to be a human.

That was Shikifuku.

A Black Trigger that would only activate using portions of its three parts depending on the user. It was not so picky as to reject someone simply because they were lacking in something.

It was the exact opposite. It welcomed anyone and everyone to use it how they wanted. They could use it to attack others, to defend others, or simply to let their frustration out. It was all up to the user.

That did not mean it did not have its own restrictions on its usage.

Shikifuku was, in reality, a Black Trigger that was created with three separate parts making up a single object.

The first was a blade that would be able to cut through anything the user wished to cut. An embodiment of strong willpower.

The second was a boost to the user's physical parameters that granted them speed and power. An embodiment of raging emotions.

The third was a shield which could not be penetrated no matter what the weapon may be. An embodiment of knowledge for the sake of others.

That was all a lie. Only those who know of Shikifuku's existence would be able to know this.

The blade that embodied strong willpower could be stopped if the user was weak of heart.

The speed and power that embodied raging emotions could all be feeble if the user could not understand their own feelings.

The shield that embodied the knowledge for the sake of others could be broken through if the user did not understand even the most basic things.

That was exactly what Tenryū Seidō was experiencing as he continued to bring up the reflective shield that embodied his knowledge.

.

Tenryū Seidō clicked his tongue as he held out his arm.

On his wrist was a black object that made up 1/3 of a bracelet. It circled around his wrist on a thread of Trion that had been changed from the usual green coloring to a vibrant yellow. It continued to circle around his wrist like the rings of Saturn while multiple yellow shields were created from it.

This was a single portion of the Black Trigger known as Shikifuku.

His fights with the Autonomous Trion Soldier known as Pyrínas had been going on for some time now. A regular Trigger would not have been able to keep up with the multiple variants of Pyrínas that surrounded him. That was why he had brought out the Black Trigger.

He had known from the start that Shikifuku would be the best way for him to fight the multiple Trion Soldiers. That was why he broke through the ground, sending the children and Border agents underground. The use of Shikifuku had prevented them from getting injured in the fall.

It was what he was using to defend as well as to attack.

_Only those two know... Yeah. Only Masafumi and Chishi know how to properly use Shikifuku. No matter how much knowledge someone has they won't be able to fully utilize this part of it. If they can properly understand everything about Shikifuku then they will be able to understand it._

Seidō lifted his arm once more.

A shell was fired at him from a rhinoceros beetle that had stayed behind to fight.

The shell had hit the yell shield that protected Seidō before being sent back with twice the speed. There was no time for the rhinoceros beetle to react before it was destroyed.

Only ten seconds after being destroyed, the rhinoceros beetle was reformed.

This reflective power is a perfect offense for this defensive Trigger. This was a reason I loved her. It's like I'm holding her hand again.

Seidō knew all too well. He knew that his wife was dead and would never be coming back. The proof continued to circle around his wrist like the rings of Saturn. It was painful knowledge like that which allowed him to continue fighting.

Rejecting that knowledge, being in denial that she was dead because of Shikifuku, it would have meant that he was denying what she had given for them. It would mean he would not understand the basics of life and death, something that would prevent him from using this part of Shikifuku.

Since he knew and understood this much, fighting continuously like this was fine. He knew just what to use and how to use them.

That may have been why he also knew that this fight would go on longer than it should. If that happened then he would be unable to do the things he wanted. His own plan would be ruined and he would not get the chance to escape.

Understanding that much, he started to think about the next thing to do.

_Right. If this works out how I want it to... I will at least be able to get away from this monster. Even I am wondering just what Border plans to do against it..._

* * *

The repeated sound of concrete being struck by metal grew more distant. The sound was coming from an underground tunnel, but Satori was still able to hear it from the surface.

"It sounds like those beetles are heading somewhere else."

"Do you think they're chasing Mitsu and the other girl?"

Kitora Ai operated her cell phone while glancing over at Satori and Sthénos who were discussing the issue.

But she did not receive a response.

"He isn't answering... But it might be safer if his phone isn't on. That eliminates a means for his pursuers to track his location."

"What do you think happened?" asked Satori.

"I am not exactly optimistic, but my guess is those beetles are chasing the three children. I doubt their specs are low enough to lose to children's legs and yet they still have not caught up. I suppose the logical conclusion is that someone or something is helping them."

"Like that irregular beetle?"

Satori recalled that giant beetle that had blocked the exit with its own body.

But he was left with the question of who had released those weapons and for what purpose. And if they were being controlled by someone, were they equipped with any unpleasant functions?

For example...

Could the irregular beetle's own thoughts be bypassed to give top priority to a remote command?

"Those tunnels were made for many different purposes: subway lines, underground passageways, multipurpose drains, and laying cable and other infrastructure. However, they all have one thing in common. Their layout is about as convoluted as an ant hill. If they are travelling while ignoring traffic rules, it would be difficult to predict what exit whoever is guiding them will use."

"Even if we do catch up to them, what then? The pursuers will not be far behind. They have at least the firepower of a tank and they have a strange ability to delicately manipulate shockwaves. Plus, they can regenerate given enough time even if split in two. ...This is no enemy to stand up to with something like a bazooka," said Kitora.

"There's still something we can do." Satori crouched down and used a small rock he found to scrape a simple schematic diagram on the sidewalk. "We can't destroy these beetles without getting the children involved. In fact, they will regenerate even if we do. But what if we just obstruct them? For example, if we keep them in place by using Spider to hold them in place or even stabbing the wires in their armor, they wouldn't be able to pull them out."

"Satorin, do you know how tough their armor is?" asked Sthénos.

"We saw a bunch of them fighting, remember? Maybe it's because they're made to regenerate, but they definitely didn't look like their armor is so ridiculously strong that not even a shot from an Egret could destroy them. If we use something strong enough that can destroy the ones from the last invasion, we should be able to break through their armor."

"We need to remember that they seem to be more aware than other Trion Soldiers. We can't just randomly attack when we feel like. Of course, that's not to say we should be taking things easily and take our time."

To shoot through those white rhinoceros beetles' armor, they would have to go right up to them. But to remain at a safe distance from those white rhinoceros beetles that had the specs of a tank with Trion, they needed to defeat the beetles while staying over 5 kilometers away. They of course could not prepare any means of doing that. And any distance less than 5 kilometers was the same. Whether they were 4 kilometers away or only 1 mm away from the enemy, they would still be shot by those shells the instant they were detected.

They could try to snipe the beetles from a safe distance, but Lighting would not cause enough damage while Egret and Ibis would most likely be too slow for them not to notice.

_Up close would be best._

"But Satorin, that means..."

"Yeah, the irregular one protecting the children isn't perfect either. If its movements are sealed, they'll be defenseless. We need to save them before that happens."

But suddenly they heard a familiar voice come from the side.

"Hm? What the hell? What happened here?"

"Suzu-chan?" Satori in puzzlement after he turned around.

Standing next to Suzume's form was Kotowari Takeshi who was waving at them.

"We were kept inside of the mall by some annoying people that decided to trap us in there using Trion. This seems to be happening all around the city. Mostly to the branch offices and HQ. I managed to get us out and come with Suzume-senpai when all of a sudden I spotted you guys."

"Ken-kun, honestly explain the situation in 30 seconds."

As the situation required a lot of explanation, Satori began speaking very quickly. Suzume followed along politely enough at the beginning, but before long she fell silent and a displeased look appeared on her face. By the end of the explanation, she had grabbed Satori by the collar.

"Is that so, Ken-kun? So what you're honestly saying is you have no idea where Mitsu is, you've left her with an out-of-control weapon that might not be safe, and you honestly have no idea why she is being attacked or who is behind it?"

"Heh...Eh heh heh. You could put it like that, I suppose."

"..."

"Wait, Suzume, wait! This may be unfortunate, but forgive Satorin!"

"Yeah, if you keep slapping Satori-senpai like that, you'll really knock his head off!"

Takeshi and Sthénos frantically tried to stop the tyrannical queen after they saw Satori's head sway back and forth in time to repeated striking sounds as if he had become a human metronome.

With the casualness of throwing away an empty drink can, Suzume tossed her classmate to the side with one hand. He crashed into the same tree he had kicked and slid down to the ground.

Takeshi couldn't tell whether she was done beating him or just got bored.

"You honestly get a failing grade for pretty much everything about that, but the one thing that is truly out of the question is your means of opposing the enemy weapons. What is this nonsense about it all being over once you're spotted whether you're 4 kilometers away or 1 mm away? Your plan is honestly as irrational as deciding to throw a landmine because you don't have a missile. Of course being 4 kilometers away is safer than being 1 mm away."

Satori felt a strong desire to look away since he actually had once fired something akin to a landmine known as Meteora once during training with someone, but averting his gaze might upset Suzume and that could make her begin again with those deadly slaps.

And so he simply told the truth rather than making unnecessary excuses.

"But we don't have proper support right now since other things seem to be going on in the city. Where are we supposed to find a means of attacking from kilometers away that can break through their arm-...bffaaah!?"

Satori suddenly shouted out because Suzume had mercilessly used her heel to step on his crotch as he sat on the ground.

Satori looked like he was about to start foaming at the mouth.

As he began to tremble, Sthénos stared at him with a blank look in her eyes and said, "Satorin, what's wrong? Why are you shaking?"

"Maybe his entire body is just grateful for that unexpected reward."

The real answer was that he was simply unable to give a straight reaction.

Just as Satori began to seriously worry about where a girl's boiling point was, he heard Suzume's voice.

"Basically, you just need firepower that can take out a tank from 5 kilometers away while making sure those children aren't hurt, right? That's honestly easier than spinning a pen in my fingers. Why are you getting so worried about something like this that you're honestly preparing yourself to run up with a landmine in hand? What nonsense."

"...Suzu-chan?"

"Or what? Are you honestly trying to say Takeshi's special laser Trigger is cheaper and harder to use than some 10,000 yen rocket launcher!? Well, Keeeeeeeeen!?"

"Nooooooooooooooooo! I don't know if you're trying to cover up your embarrassment or if you really are pissed, but stop performing a denki anma in public! And the heel of your boot is seriously about to crush them, so stoooooooooooooppppppppppppppp!"

Satori was unable to do anything to stop that hell of adolescence. As his consciousness grew faint, he noticed Kitora Ai had called someone with her cell phone. She had said she was unable to reach Stepney, so this was likely someone else.

And...

That prep-school girl who would probably look good in a lab coat grew visibly dejected as she spoke. She looked like a plant that had been left in the window during the heat of summer or a child who was being scolded by her teacher for forgetting her homework.

By the time she had hung up, a dark mood had come over Kitora.

With a somehow distant look in her eyes, she asked, "It looks like I am also going to be scolded for inadequate supervision. I wonder if I will receive a denki anma from a scary sibling too."

* * *

After coming up to the surface, Rhinoceros Beetle 07 came to a stop while thinking. It lowered Michelle, Stepney and Mitsubachi to the ground nearby. It could have continued to keep them floating in midair using its giant thin wings, but they had started to rotate around and around on their centers of gravity and enjoying themselves so much that other children were drawing near. The beetle decided it was best to stop for the moment.

"Do you seriously know that there are some pretty fun stuff here?"

"Um..."

"(Hey! How many times do I have to tell you I can't stand having you looking down on me like that!?)"

"Can you listen to me for a moment...? Hello...?"

"I am sorry, Mr. Beetle."

At first glance, it appeared Rhinoceros Beetle 07 had left Pyrínas' control, but it had been unable to completely escape the Trion Soldier's curse. Even now, the order to capture the large Trion Source known as Michelle was constantly repeating itself inside the beetle's head(?).

"Tah dah! I have the card for the stamp rally go on right now. If you don't have one of these ahead of time, you can't enjoy the events, do you get-..."

"(Hey, hey! I have one of those too! Yuki gave it to me when I met up with him!"

"Oh... I don't have one of those."

"Ah! I'm sorry, Stepney!"

"(Don't get sad! I am sorry!)"

The reason Rhinoceros Beetle 07 did not actually take action on that order was because it was using its role of "narrowing down ideas" to constantly intentionally convert the oral command into its own interpretation. It was not rejecting the command or creating a new command on its own. The relationship of master and slave had not changed.

"We both have a card! We need to see who wins as we go around to the area stands! Stepney, you can seriously play some too! I'll let you use mine!"

"What happened to wanting to save Pyrínas...!?" asked the beetle.

And so...

Rhinoceros Beetle 07 determined that it itself was most definitely one of the biggest threats to the three children before it.

"Heh heh heh. Just filling up the stamp rally card is easy enough, but the elegance of the card changes depending on what stamps you use. Don't seriously think you can defeat me without filling your card up with stamps for foods limited to 15 people or secret stamps! I am declaring my victory!"

If Rhinoceros Beetle 07 was given an oral command intentionally made so it was unable to convert it incorrectly, it would be forced to kill Michelle, Stepney and Mitsubachi without hesitation.

"(Ha! I need to hurry up! At this rate, you'll hog all of the dangerous rare stamps for yourself!)"

"Hnya ha ha ha ha! If you think dangerous rare is as high as it goes, you have no chance of defeating me-...Wait ,wait! Hear me out before running off-...!"

And even if things did not go that far, if the information being gathered by the beetle's five senses was shared with the entirety of what made up "Pyrínas", the Trion-made army would be on them in no time at all.

"Huh...? Where did those children go...?"

Rhinoceros Beetle 07 stopped thinking once it noticed the noisy voices were growing more distant. It emitted its artificial voice with its wings, but it received no response.

When it looked around, it found the three children charging toward a nearby stand with stamp rally cards in hand. The beetle decided the children had lost all awareness of the fact they were being pursued. It needed to capture them immediately to keep them safe.

But how?

It could use its giant wings to float the children in the air, but that did not possess the powerful constraining ability needed to capture people who were running around at random.

Rhinoceros Beetle 07 rechecked the specs on the foremost two of its six legs. Those legs were made to provide high speed movement and suppress the recoil when firing a shell. They also had claw-like spikes on the end, so there was a very real risk of slicing the children apart if it tried to restrain them with its legs.

After thinking for a while, Rhinoceros Beetle 07 simply gave up.

It could not think of a way.

"Fine then...!"

A few orange sparks began to fly from the asphalt as Rhinoceros Beetle 07 began chasing after Michelle, Stepney and Mitsubachi.

As it was late in the day and this seemed to be a "safe place" for others, the area around the stand was crowded with people. The beetle saw no way it could blend into that scene, but to its surprise, no major commotion occurred.

A flood of voices reached its ears...or rather, the thin wings it spread out to detect the vibrations in the air.

"This is from that leading university, right? That thing where they fight while riding robots shaped like rhinoceros beetles or stag beetles. Boys sure do love bugs."

"But did they have a white one? Is it a rare version or something?"

"The sad truth is that they will lose their research funding if they don't periodically display the fruits of their research in a way even a child can understand."

Once they had accepted the beetle in their own way, they saw no reason to find fault in it. That may have been due to it being considered a "safe place" that lead others to it. That meant anything within the area would be considered "safe" to the people. Even so, Rhinoceros Beetle 07 was a bit worried about the fact that a strange weapon could make its way onto a crowded area without any kind of permit, but it was finally able to catch up to the two girls running through the makeshift labyrinth of stands.

It seemed they were able to pay up front by handing their subway IC cards to the girls running the stand.

"What are you doing...?" asked the beetle.

"Well, well, well! This is seriously a sharpshooting stand! Don't you think it's cheating to make the rare stamp itself be the prize!? It's seriously too small to hit!"

"(Is it true the standard thing to do with these is to shoot the girl running the stand?)" Michelle asked while holding the cork gun in one hand.

"I think that it really just matters on where you are in the world. Every place does things in their own way."

Rhinoceros Beetle 07 looked over at the stand.

The girl running it was forcing a smile, but the smile was beginning to twitch a bit. The stand itself had several stepped shelves made of wood with cute stuffed animals and other prizes set up on them. It seemed to be a game where one attempted to shoot those prizes with the rifle.

Rhinoceros Beetle 07 shook its cannon barrel slightly in a mannerism similar to tilting its head in confusion.

"Isn't this a slightly violent setup...?"

"What are you saying? I feel a lot sorrier for the one stuffed animal that is left all alone in the end," insisted Mitsubachi while holding up her cork gun. "This strike will release this stuffed animal's soul! Even when I lean way up over the counter to bring my cork gun closer to the target which is completely fair and definitely not cheati-...fgyahhh!"

"..."

As Mitsubachi practically climbed up on top of the counter, she very nearly fell inside the stand like a seesaw, so the girl frantically stopped her.

As Michelle used up cork bullet after cork bullet in her attempt to hit the rare stamp, she suddenly turned toward Rhinoceros Beetle 07.

More specifically, she turned to look at the thick horn that acted as its cannon barrel.

"(Hey. You can't use that.)"

"I know that..."

"(Yeah! No matter how much trouble I have trying to hit the rare stamp, you can't get frustrated and use that!)"

"I am having trouble determining whether you are trying to stop me or to get me to do it... At any rate, I am not going to..."

"Huh... Just watching them is fine with me. I think. I guess I don't have a right to complain when I never got a card."

"Stepney was it...? You are currently the one I like the most..."

While providing that ideal response, Rhinoceros Beetle 07 continued staring at the stuffed animals lined up within the sharpshooting stand.

They were all nothing but colored cloth stuffed with cotton and shaped like animals.

One was shaped like the animal known as a lion, so it was called a lion.

One was shaped like the animal known as a giraffe, so it was called a giraffe.

One was shaped like the animal known as an elephant, so it was called an elephant.

It seemed that the standard human way of looking at it was that the one shaped like a lion was not called an elephant even though they were both made in the exact same way and they both contained the exact same thing inside. Yet the leather shoes the girl running the stand was wearing were made of real cowhide yet they were not called a cow.

That mysterious world where the real thing and imitations were mixed together got Rhinoceros Beetle 07 wondering what that would make it.

Was it a rhinoceros beetle because its external appearance was made to look like one?

Was it Trion because it was made up of that single material?

Was it merely something that was constantly receiving orders from Pyrínas?

Was there any value in something that continued to intentionally misinterpret its orders?

"Hey. Do you want the lion?"

"What?"

"You've seriously been staring at it. If you want it, just say so! We can work together to get it! Yeah, yeah. So point that giant horn towards the stand."

"...I told you guys I am not going to fire..."

"You seriously don't have to, so hurry, hurry..."

Still confused, Rhinoceros Beetle 07 simply did as it was told. When it did, Mitsubachi suddenly started to climb up it. She slowly made her way to the tip with her thighs wrapped tightly around the thick horn as if she was carefully crossing a log lying across a canyon.

When she reached the end of the cannon that was practically sticking into the stand, she held up her cork gun with an air of importance.

"There. I can't miss at point blank range!"

"..."

Rhinoceros Beetle 07 did not want to help her cheat, so it shook its cannon barrel back and forth.

The schoolgirl running the stand still did not understand some of what was going on, so she simply smiled at what she could understand of the situation.

Right after that, the small sound of a crack running within Rhinoceros Beetle 07's body could be heard.

The toll of leaving Pyrínas' control had taken on the beetle was finally beginning to show itself.

* * *

"So that's how it is..."

Mei let out a sigh.

After having met up with Shobu she had been told everything he knew about what was going on. There was little to go off of, but there had apparently been something he knew that others did not.

"So that man was a Trion Soldier. For him to fool Mukuro of all people... That guy is lazy as hell but he isn't an idiot by any standards."

"...I am sorry... ...I didn't tell...Kageura Squad... ...That man seemed...fine to me... ...There were...no brainwaves... ...But he...didn't do...anything wrong..."

"I know. It's fine. You didn't do anything wrong. I already know that you're a good judge of character. ...Putting Yuki aside that is... If you found nothing wrong with him then there is no need to be sorry."

"..."

Mei halted in her movement.

With no hesitation in her movement, she turned around to look at Shobu. Their height was not too far off yet she lowered herself to look him in the eyes.

"There was nothing wrong with your choices. If you think that there was nothing wrong with that man then that is fine."

The only response was a simple nod.

Mei knew that he would not argue against her, something she actually did not like. It was hard to get the boy to open up at all yet he had been able to speak freely with some people. While she was not one of those people she knew that she was on better terms with him than most people.

She was trying to be someone he could open up to. It was not for any sort of gain for herself but instead for the boy. She was well aware of others viewed him and wanted to help with his issues.

It was made more difficult when given the current circumstances.

_I suppose I should pick a better time and place. For now... Yes. I'll just deal with that thing right now._

Mei let out a sigh.

It was rare for her to do multiple times within a day.

"Shokubutsu, you can continue towards Mikado City. I think I might end up busy with something else for a bit. I will catch up later on. For now you need to get the last part of Shikifuku to Akasora-san."

She was pleased with a nod for a simple answer.

Once she saw that he was out of view she lowered her stance to that of someone ready to jump into the air. The two gauges on the side of her combat boots went up by multiple bars.

A strange Trion Soldier had been flying over them for some time now. Mei had noticed it before but figured that it was about time to take it out when she heard the feint sound of a vehicle coming towards them.

The falcon-like Trion Soldier that was over here right now was different in appearance from the one taken out in front of Karasuma and Konami. This one's wings were shaped differently and instead of talons it just had one big spike coming from under it.

A hard screech came from the Trion Soldier as it made a sudden dive bomb towards Mei, who was currently crouching in place. The speed it was going at was far greater than the regular Marmod or Bado that came through a Gate on a daily basis.

Once it reached a certain point in the air, Mei took action.

With little thought she flew into the air at a speed that could actually rival the dive bombing Falcon Trion Soldier.

With the way things were going Mei was able to gain more height due to moving upwards while the Falcon Trion Soldier was going down. This meant that she had the best position to attack.

Figuring out that it was no longer the one attacking, the Falcon Trion Soldier took a few seconds to stop in midair to fix its position.

There was no time for it to defend.

_I'm not as good as Yuki when it comes to this stuff, but that's neither here nor there at the moment._

Yuki was a professional when it came to moving his body freely in midair. If if he was at an odd angle, there was always a way for him to move the way he wanted. It was how he was able to counter the downside to his Side Effect.

Mei was not so proficient at doing that. Even so, she managed to force her body into a flip as the Falcon Trion Soldier stopped. With no lag time from the flip, she brought her foot down onto the Falcon Trion Soldier.

The top of the head and the core within the head were destroyed while being sent towards the ground once more. This time its speed was even greater as it slammed into the ground with enough force to break the asphalt.

Mei landed next to it and examined the still form.

"I should hurry up. Especially since it's only Ninomiya who is coming towards me."

* * *

Repeated sounds of solid objects being destroyed rang out.

Those were the sounds of the giant boar charging toward the back of the train while destroying the fluorescent lights and other objects on the walls and ceiling of the tunnel. The boar was only a Trion Soldier being controlled by the girl behind it, so it did not possess the standard instincts of a living creature. It ran right off the back of the train and ended up not moving.

The dress-wearing Neighbor named Sanshū gave a long sigh.

Nothing remained on top of the train's roof and Boar had not been destroyed by the impact of hitting the tracks, yet it didn't seem to be moving either. After being thrown into the air, for at least two times, Yuki had either been crushed by the giant boar and sent into his real body or thrown to the side and fallen to the ground.

Either way, he was certainly out of the fight.

With her job done for the moment, Sanshū reached to her hear to communicate with her comrades.

"Alright then. I've won this fight. I'm pretty sure they said something about another agent coming from that city."

Just as she began carelessly muttering to herself, she heard an ominous creaking noise.

"…"

At some point, a glowing core had appeared between her five fingers.

She looked toward the source of the sound.

It was quite nearby. It was on the edge of the train's roof. While looking to the front of the train, it was on the right. She saw what looked like fingers.

No.

They really were what they looked like. They were fingers. There were five of them. Someone was holding onto the quickly-moving train with just the strength of their hand. She peered over at this person and realized who it was.

It was Yuki. Idōgetsu was no in it's holder.

"Wow~ How the heck did you manage to survive that?"

Sanshū grinned and began to release the core in her fingers.

But before she could, Yuki used his free arm to swing around the coat of his uniform by the sleeve. He had removed it in advance.

The powerful wind caused the cloth to swell out and it covered Sanshū's entire face. It robbed her of her vision. She lost her vision while peering down from the edge of the train.

Yuki had been blown toward the back of the train by an artificial blast of wind and the giant boar had tried to charge at him. However, he is an A-Rank, so he's dealt with worse.

Even when he had gotten his balance in the air, he was still hit within the limited space. That didn't matter though since he resorted to using his specialy known as Teleport.

As the giant boar scraped along the top of the tunnel, it ran directly along the roof of the train. Yuki couldn't see much and with the train moving fast he couldn't get to the exact spot he wanted, so he ended up hanging from the side.

He had survived for the time being.

But if he climbed up now, Sanshū would begin her attack once more. And she might not wait until after he had finished defenselessly climbing up.

He was use to coming up with trick on the spot.

Fortunately, Sanshū would likely assume she had won. With that much destruction, checking for his real body would be difficult. He had to make his preparations during that slight period of safety. Currently, Yuki was supported only by his ten fingers and was about to fall to the ground which was rushing by with tremendous speed below. Even in a Trion body a person would have trouble getting up from a moving train with only their fingers.

The biggest obstacle was removing his coat. Removing his arms from the sleeves meant he had to temporarily support himself with only one arm. With his removed coat in hand, Yuki supported himself as if performing a pull up and slowly moved toward Sanshū while clinging to the side of the train.

Once he was close enough, he only had to wait. He waited for her to peer down at him. All he did was throw his coat up to block her vision.

"Seriously!? What kinda trick was that!?" shouted Sanshū.

Yuki had to climb up onto the roof in that time, but it was still not enough. With her vision still blocked, Sanshū purposefully dropped the core in her hand.

"25%. Power. Make/ /Blaze!"

_Like hell!_

While getting a little irritated and supporting himself with one hand, Yuki swept his other hand along the roof. While Sanshū struggled nervously with her vision cut off, he tried to get her with Idōgetsu in hand and with a crescent blade as his weapon.

She dodged it by skipping over the blade, but ended up skipping as she landed and ended up on her butt.

"Damn!"

Before checking to make sure Sanshū's feet were taken, Yuki climbed up onto the train's roof. While lying face down, Yuki saw the core on the floor being scanned.

He frantically stood up and readied Idōgetsu. Just as it took the form of a falcon and attacked, he smashed it to pieces with his wrecking-ball-formed Trigger.

_I just need to take out those cores before they can finish "scanning"._

After making sure the falcon had been destroyed, Yuki quickly turned toward Sanshū.

_I don't even know how much Trion she has... The cores are coming from her personal Trion supply, but... There's still an off chance it is coming from an outside source._

He started for the girl again and got ready to destroy anything she would make. He didn't know how long the fight would actually last, so he was actually thinking of something else entirely.

"Come on... One of them."


	6. Emotion - Only_for_Others

Kushikage grinned as she blocked another powerful attack from her opponent. The two had been "lazily chucking their swords around" for the whole time they had been fighting. The thing was that to anyone else who would see them fight they would seem like two monsters hacking and slashing to their hearts content.

On the other side of that, Mukuro and his opponent contniued their relentless attacks. Neither one had been able to get a decisive hit in yet, but Mukuro seemed to be winning. If all the Trion leaking from Shona was something to go off of while Mukuro seemed unharmed.

He had a single blade that resembled a blowtorch coming out of his middle finger. Unlike the 5 meter ones he had been previously wielding, this one seemed around 25 meters long. He figured he would go for a single long blade instead of having it get closer.

He already found the range of his opponent's weapon after all.

The multiple whips that came from the single hilt could only reach up to 10 meters. Meaning that the distance of 25 meters was a good distance for Mukuro to be fighting at.

He lifted his other hand in a bored manner. A second blade came from his middle finger. This one was also 25 meters.

The whips made of Trion clashed with the blade made of Trion. When each one got destroyed they would reform. The amount of Trion this took was a large amount that one wouldn't expect from these two who looked like they wouldn't be much into working at all.

Seeing some Trion soldiers come up from the side, the four fighters turned and each took them out.

Kushikage and Yukia slashed at the soldiers and easily sliced them in half.

Mukuro easily and swiftly moved his left hand to cut multiple soldiers with just one blade.

Shona moved her wrist. The whips moved quickly and cut through each soldier.

What is she doing? As a matter of fact, why are they attacking the city at all?

Kushikage let out a small sigh before looking at her opponent with a sharp look.

"Hey, ya wanna get a little serious now? I'm getting bored with this."

"Really? Phew. I thought I was the only one."

"Great! Let's do this!"

Both Mukuro and Shona slightly moved their fight so that they weren't in range of the two animal-like people fighting.

Said two got crazed grin on their faces as they rushed at each other. They clashed their massive swords. While using only one hand, they both moved their blades at a fast pace that shouldn't be possible while using only a single hand.

"Those two are monsters..."

* * *

"This is taking too long..."

While swaying, the Neighbor known as Sanshū slowly stood up on the train's roof.

"I'm actually getting kinda mad now..."

The tunnel ceiling grew a bit lower.

Yuki bent his back without thinking, but Sanshū continued standing tall. Seeing the ceiling rushing past just above the top of her head actually worried Yuki a bit.

"You just won't go down... I'm not trying to kill you, but... If that's what it takes then fine..."

Yuki got ready with Idōgetsu in hand. He could tell something might have snapped in the girl's head for her to just suddenly say that.

"If you just didn't come to this world then this wouldn't have happened to begin with."

Yuki had been getting an odd feeling from the start of the whole thing, but put it aside so he could fight. The feeling was as if something was wrong, but he couldn't really tell what it was.

"My creations... I've made a lot while on this world... Now they're being taken control of and destroyed..."

A self-deprecating smile appeared on the girl's face. That smile appeared based on the will of a mother that looks like she had just lost a child.

"I hate using them like this, but I said I would, so I have to."

Talking to an opponent while in the middle of a battle was never something good. It always appeared in managa and anime where they needed to fill in the time or panels for the chapter or episode. It felt odd to Yuki to talk this much while in a fight on top of a train, but he still felt the odd feeling.

He didn't think she actually wanted to be doing this in the first place.

"We've been kicked out of our countries..." Sanshū's voice started to get lower. "And we need to keep moving around, so of course we need to do this..." She looked at Yuki with an almost sad look. "But just waltzing onto another world is bad, right?"

"..."

Yuki let out a small sigh. From what he was hearing, the idea that they were actually "attacking" the world seemed like it was the odd part.

What if they were just stopping to get something they needed, besides Trion, and had gone about it the wrong way?

But that was not the case.

"The civilians aren't in danger in Mikado City, but that other city is a different story. You put up a large barrier while using the Trion from the people there for all of this. While I'm not in any faction, and am fine with hearing you out, I can't overlook what I've been told. That city has buildings destroyed and the people there are scared."

"That wasn't me. I didn't order any destruction like that. My creations have been taken over by an obvious traitor. No... He was probably already like that from when our leader and former leader made him. I'm busy with you here to deal with him though. And it doesn't matter if I want to destroy him completely. Our leader wouldn't allow it."

"Then clearly he isn't a good leader." The image of one of his friends and his sister appeared in Yuki's head. "And how do you know for sure that it was him? Something could be going on that you don't know of, so think about it more carefully."

"I had heard you people have something called Bail Out, but... You really want to die." Sanshū gave Yuki a dark look while pulling out another core. "I know it's him. And if you ever say that our leader is a bad leader again then I'll make sure you die."

Those words sounded more like a sister talking about her older brother than a mother now.

That brought up the image of his own sister now. The younger one who he found to be too innocent.

He let out another sigh and got a more dull look as the crescent blade appeared at the pointed end of Idōgetsu.

"Let's leave the talking during battle to manga."

Yuki heard a sound like something solid being scratched at. By the time he realized something was wrong, it was too late.

"Fine! Just drop to the ground already!"

It came from below. But there was nothing on the roof of the train below their feet. It came from further below than that.

They were standing on a five-car train. There was a large space inside that giant box. When he had outwitted Sanshū by using Teleport, he had been so focused on supporting his body that he had looked only at the hands supporting his weight. He had never looked inside the train car. But what if Sanshū had made effective use of that space?

What if she had called in a large number of soldiers while fighting Yuki and had fed them all to a single monster to fatten it up?

"70%. Balanced. Shift/ /Ultimate #2!"

Just as the five-car train left the tunnel and appeared outside, Yuki's entire vision was filled with bright sunlight.

An attack came in that instant he was blinded.

Sanshū cried out and something inside the car Yuki stood on ripped it apart like plastic. A much too large golden soldier with the body of a falcon appeared with its wings pointed around its body. Sanshū took three or four steps backwards and moved to the next car forward. By the time Yuki saw that, the entire destroyed car had already been tossed into the air. The following cars were dragged along and derailed.

He thought of using Teleport to land on one of the cars, but noticed how Sanshū kept a keen eye on his own eyes. He would be smashed to pieces along with the back cars being turned to scrap.

"Shit!"

The woman in the transparent dress stood out of reach in front of him.

_Like hell I'd lose like this! If anyone saw the rep of the Yagura Branch lose then... Screw it!_

Suddenly, the falling motion of Yuki's body clearly changed. This was due to external interference. When he realized that, Yuki finally noticed someone was grabbing onto the back of his uniform.

It was a girl who had fallen from the sky. It was a girl who had carried out the acrobatics needed to jump onto the roof of the train. It was a girl who could jump from from the top of the large hill nearby using her specialized Trigger made just for her.

It was Takaoto Mei.

The A-Rank who had traded in her spot as a Combatant to be an Operator landed on the roof of the train like an arrow stabbing into it.

Only two cars remained.

Yuki clicked his tongue. Not because he was saved by the girl he was a close friend with. No. It was a must simpler reason.

"Pathetic." There stood Ninomiya Masataka. He looked towards Sanshū while speaking to Yuki. "I finally caught up to you, you idiot. Just because Akasora-san isn't around doesn't mean you can go and jump out of the car like that. Not only that, but you look like you're having a hard time.

The girl with a hime-cut hair style sighed.

"Could you two please not argue right now? I had to leave a certain someone to find Mikado City on their own and don't feel like dealing with your stupidity right now. Sorry, Yuki, but I'm joining in this fight. The sooner we get this done the sooner we can get back to Mikado."

He hated the fact he need to ask this from someone he hated. He also didn't want to seem like he couldn't handle the situation in front of the person he had a special relationship with.

But right how he knew that dealing with the opponent in front of them was more important than his own petty feelings. He would not worry about appearances. It did not matter if it was pathetic, or embarrassing. If it would allow him to end the day with their win, he would use anything. He would use anything and get anyone involved.

"Alright then. That girl's Trigger is a stupidly strong one that can create Trion soldiers by using the cores she keeps on her. There's around a 3 second delay from when they are scanned and when they are ready for fighting."

Yuki stood up straight and tightened his grip on Idōgetsu.

_I'll stab this guy with a pencil if he tells anyone I said this..._

Letting out one more sigh, Yuki changed his weapon from a crescent shape to that of a regular scythe.

"I need your help. I want to end this right now."

In that instant, Ninomiya, the person Yuki hated the most and who hated him just as much, got a small smile on his face. It wasn't a pleasant smile. It was one that someone would wear when they had just seen that they had won against everything that stood in their way.

In that instant, Mei, the one person in the world who knew Yuki the best, got a smile on her face. It was the smile that someone would find on a person who had just been told that their love had been returned in full.

They did not think it was too much to ask. They did not find it to be a bother. They had been waiting for those words for so long.

One saw it as win against a hard fought opponent while the other saw it as the person who knew her best finally understands that he needs her. They both got ready for the end of the fight. They had made up their minds. The answer they had to give here was not something long and unending. They could take their time with that once this was all over.

They knew what would currently feel best as an answer for that boy who felt like he couslnt do this alone and was seeking help.

"Leave it to me."

The two agents took a large step forward to show their own determination.

At the same moment, the train shot back into a tunnel.

Ahead of them was the humanoid Neighbor named Sanshū. Behind them were the sounds of destruction as Ultimate #2 charged into the tunnel. It was clearly too large for the half circle space of the tunnel. If it continued forward, it could easily blow away the two remaining cars of the train. A powerful enemy lay ahead and behind, but Ninomiya and Mei both gave smiles.

They would beat down their opponent and show her that they were some of Border's best agents.

.

It did not matter how many new enemies arrived, Sanshū held a key that ensured her victory. While ignoring the tunnel ceiling growing lower again, she stared at her enemies and shouted.

"20%. Soft. Make/ /Boar."

She threw a core, a scanning occurred around it, and a boar was made. That was all she had to do.

The boar wasn't made with the intent of attacking or defending. It had a completely different function at the time. Sanshū would be forced back into her real body if she stalled when she lands on the tracks below, so that's what Boar was for. It was meant to quickly run away when she landed on it.

Now she merely had to send Ultimate #2 charging in from behind. The attack would fill the entire tunnel and smash the train to pieces. That would annihilate her enemies. Both Sanshū and her enemies would be thrown into the air, but Sanshū alone would have a cushion to allow herself to escape with her Trion body in tact.

No matter how dirty the method, she would make sure to win for her revenge on the one taking control of her creations. She would not stand for anyone, even her leader, to take over what she herself created.

"Destroy everything, Ultimate #2!"

She gave the final command. That giant falcon gained an extra burst of speed as if crossing the final line. That falcon had used up 70% of Sanshū's own Trion. Even if it ran headlong into a ten-car linear motor train, it would smash the train without taking any damage itself.

However, something happened just before the falcon struck.

"Shut up."

Mei jumped back as if performing a backflip.

The use of her specialized Trigger pushed her forcefully toward the back of the train. It looked like she was throwing a dropkick with the force of a shell. That short and slender girl would be in trouble if she got hit with a Trion-based attack and get smashed the instant she touched any spot on the tunnel with her real body, but she did not hesitate to jump from the safe zone and toward Ultimate #2.

The greatest roar yet burst out. And that roar was followed by many more.

As Mei launched herself horizontally toward the falcon, she could be seen pulling her fists back. She fired shots repeatedly at point blank range. These were powerful shots that mixed Asteroid with Asteroid to create a powerful composite bullet. She had equipped it to her gloves and fired it again and again to her heart's content.

The entire tunnel shook ominously and small fragments fell from the ceiling.

"That's...so damn crazy..."

The giant falcon's advance was stopped in an instant.

Sanshū and the others' on the moving train saw what could only be called its remnants disappearing. The Neighbor's mind had numbed to the point that she could understand nothing more than that.

Now that Ultimate #2 could not destroy the train, Sanshū had to rethink her entire plan.

But Yuki and Ninomiya were not going to give her that time. Just as the tunnel ceiling rose up, the two of them took a few large steps forward with two Trion cubes appearing next to Ninomiya.

"Tch!"

Sanshū scattered many, many cores across the roof. She planned to go all out and use any Trion she had gotten from an outside source. As long as she won or escaped she didn't care about her pride.

"20%. Eat. Make/ /Leo. 20%. Speed. Make/ /Deer. 20%. Sturdy. Make/ /Rhino. 10%. Eat. Make/ /Cheetah. 10%. Power. Eat/ /Boar."

Who would produce what and what would eat what was something she knew. She spread her options as wide as she could. She could force her way through with numbers or she could crush them with one giant monster. She expanded a spider web-like flowchart that allowed her to adapt to any number of situations.

However…

"Hound."

Sanshū's entire body stiffened as the captain of the #1 B-Rank squad said this.

The Trion cubes next to Ninomiya spilt up into smaller, prickly ones before shooting forward. They quickly destroyed each soldier's core, leaving them useless.

The other shots flew in the air and shot right through Sanshū in an instant.

Or rather, that's how it should have been. What really happened was that the shots fired destroyed the transparent dress she had on and nothing more. What's more was the fact that the dress regenerated.

This didn't faze the B-Rank though as another two large cubes of Trion appeared next to him. He had an expression on his face that showed he would win no matter what he was about to destroy. Whether it was the girl, her dress, her creations or even the train itself.

Yuki prepared Idōgetsu for the strike he needed to win. He didn't move forward for the single fact that Ninomiya wouldn't hesitate to shoot him full of holes as well. In a way, Yuki was glad that Ninomiya was so cold.

Seeing that her creation would be destroyed faster and faster, Sanshū started to worry more. That didn't stop her though as she threw a few more cores on the train's roof. They were quickly destroyed by shots before the scanning could even begin, but not all of them were gone.

_I won't lose..._

A great cry exploded out. It was accompanied by a heavy roar.

A large man and a giant horse had taken a step forward from behind her. They were both looked too large to be anything regular, but were still small enough to stand upright in the limited space of the tunnel.

If any of them thought about it, there was no meaning in this fight. One side just wanted to protect their world, especially since it had just recently been attacked. The other side just wanted to test something out. The girl in front of them just wanted to get back at the one taking control of her creations.

But they still continued on. The reason Sanshū did not back down was because she did not want to lose. She wanted to show just how strong her creations really were. She would win using any methods so long as her opponents saw her creations in action.

"Next time, you should take out all of them. Please do you're job right, Ninomiya-sama."

"Keep that up and I'll fill you full of holes first."

The two bickered like usual. They didn't feel as threatened as they should be when facing an opponent like this.

"That dress she has on is a annoyance."

"And what are you going to do about it?" Yuki grinned as he spoke. He knew what was going to be said.

"... Tsk." Ninomiya's expression turned into one of irritation. "I'll take out her creations and make an opening. Be useful and at least distract her before going into your real body."

Yuki and the soldiers ran full speed toward each other. They didn't clash though as some shots came from behind Yuki and destroyed the two.

While it was an important element that would decide the trend of the situation, it was a trivial matter that did not produce a single scratch. Ninomiya had put aside his own pride to work along side Yuki and take out the soldier being mass produced.

The girl who wanted to show off her creations let out a bestial cry.

Yuki grinned as he swatted away the fallen soldier and continued towards the Neighbor.

"It's over, girl," he said without thinking. "We can talk when you're out of that body!"

.

The battered train left the dark, dark tunnel and it entered the bright, white sunlight.

"... Man..."

The train no longer held any soldiers with the strength to crush a human in a single blow or anyone who would use their Trion to keep the agents of Border away from their city.

"I can't believe I actually lost..."

Sanshū lay on the train, looking up at the sky. She had been defeated by some of Border's best agents. She currently couldn't make more soldiers to attack, so she was defenseless.

"Now then-"

"Hold up, Masataka." Yuki walked in front of Ninomiya and put his arm up. "Don't go doing something stupid. She can't fight back now, and I said I would hear her out."

"I don't care. Besides, it wasn't like I was going to kill her. What an idiot."

"Tsk. This coming from an airhead. What an insult."

"Both of you idiots, shut up." Mei walked up to them and hit them on the head. She then turned to the fallen girl. "I know very little about what is going on. Now let's hear what you have to say."

"Pyrínas is the bastard who's currently taking control of the Trion soldiers I've made so far." She turned her gaze to Yuki. "That's why they were destroying that city. I commanded them to only make people in Trion bodies go into their real bodies before leaving."

"I see... So that 'traitor' you mentioned was this Pyrínas guy, right?"

"He's also a Trion Soldier, but yes. And to answer your question from before... I know he's a traitor... He's done this before. I just recently found out myself. I had brought it up with our leader, but he didn't believe me. He's the one who helped to make Pyrínas Original, so that's why I said he wouldn't do anything."

Yuki let out a small sigh. He himself didn't even know what was going on, so he felt bad for assuming things right off the bat.

Either way, he decided that they should all go back to Mikado City instead. He wasn't sure if he could get in contact with anyone with how far away they currently were, so he wanted to go and inform them of everything he had learned and about what Mei currently knew.

"Man... This kinda sucks."

* * *

There was a sense of unease as Akasora stood in Mikado City.

Once he made it to the city, he had met up with Shinoda to get the second part of Shikifuku.

Director Shinoda was qualified to use this part of Shikifuku yet he waited for Akasora to make it to the city before taking any actions with it. It may have been because Akasora was more adept at using that part of Shikifuku than either Shinoda or Seidō. While at the same time Shinoda was better at using the first part of Shikifuku - the blade - and Seidō was best at the third part - the shield.

This meant that the only two parts of Shikifuku that were in Mikado City were being used by the best. It was an inevitable fight that could not be held off by any means.

That was why Akasora was uneasy.

At the same time, he was a bit excited to fight his friend once more. This sort of opportunity had left him long ago when his friend had left. While it was an important fight that he had to win, it still felt like the competitions they use to have between them and Shinoda.

Maybe it was that sentiment that made him not want to start the fight with Shikifuku.

Akasora was currently in his regular Trion Body with Kōgetsu hanging at his hip. His tracksuit was a different color from his usual one and his stance was leaning towards a very offensive position with only a few places seeming to be defended.

"How strange. I thought that you would have been in a hurry to break those barriers that were keeping the branch offices and HQ from helping out too much. I guess you go a bit senile with age after all. I'm glad that hasn't happened to me yet."

"How strange. I thought that you were in the middle of a fight with some strange opponent. I guess you couldn't win so you decided to come to me. And what about your subordinate? Do you think you can win without her? I guess you go a bit senile with age after all. I'm glad that hasn't happened to me yet."

Akasora looked forward to see a man around his age walk forward. Opposite to his sudden-danger appearance, Seidō had a sort of subtle-danger to him. They were both different from Shinoda's calm-danger feeling and took pride in knowing that fact. There was a feeling of mutual respect between the two as silence overtook them.

It was not the best way to see an old friend again, but they both viewed it as the best way to meet each other again. While it was a bit saddening to see one of them missing, they both knew that if Shinoda was there then it would turn into an unfair match with Akasora and Shinoda teaming up against Seidō in order to protect the peace of the city and their own respective lives.

"So, you have two options here. Before you interrupt me, like you tend to do, let me explain them first. Them you can go on complaining, like you tend to do."

"As a friend, fine. I'll let you finish before smacking you, like I tend to do."

Akasora let out a chuckle.

"The first is to help us out, or stay out of the way, and then go out for drinks so we can talk about the old days while finding a way to make sure you don't end up in prison for stealing. I'm sure that Masafumi and Takumi would love to berate you for your stupidity."

"..."

"The second option is to get ready for a fight. No... Let me rephrase that. The second option is to get ready to lose and then get your ass thrown into prison. Once you're done with your sentence we can go out for drinks. Either way, I need an excuse to get drunk as hell after today."

Akasora already the answer.

He was not the best at using the shield provided by Shikifuku, but he was smart enough to know what his friend would choose. It was obvious that Seidō had not changed too much from when they had fought side-by-side against Neighbors. That much he was glad for.

"That girl..."

Akasora tilted his head a bit.

"I want protection for that girl if I really can't accomplish my goal and lose to you. She has done nothing wrong but follow my orders. Even then, she appears to not have even told me that she met with a Taiyōko. If you manage to capture me, I want it to be known that I have no connection to that girl, no matter what she says."

That was unexpected.

He let out a sigh.

This was not what Akasora had thought would be said. In fact, it made him rather annoyed that these were the words that came out of Seidō's mouth.

"You know, it really pisses me off that you speak of this girl like that while not even asking how your own son is doing. Have you given up on him? If so, that's fine. I've already taken custody of him. I've kept that child informed on you, enough to where he at least knows you exist as a decent person. Right now though... I feel like it's best that he forgets that you even exist."

"..."

"I will make sure that girl is protected. My grudge is against you, not someone I don't even know. Unlike you, I can appreciate those who are living as well as those who once lived. I'm glad to see that you care for that girl, but that doesn't make up at all for you being a piece of shit father."

"I was never hoping it would. I already know, for a fact, that I am a terrible father. Even if I tell you that I did not leave because of him, because he reminds me of her, or even because I just wanted to leave, you would not think it's the truth. That boy was always an introvert and I probably made things worse for him. I can apologize for that, but it doesn't mean that I am forgiven for it. Go on, tell me I'm wrong."

"I won't be getting your hopes up by saying that you will be forgiven. Actually, I don't want you near that boy ever again. But then again, that's not up to me. You are still his father and he is always trusted to do things without supervision. He is much more mature than either you or me."

"Is that so...?"

Akasora let out a laugh when he thought of just how true that statement was.

While the two of them, and most likely Shinoda, wanted to have a grudge match, Tenryū Shokubutsu was busy helping others in his own way. While he did not know what exactly his newphew was doing, Akasora knew well enough that Shobu was not just in some corner, keeping away from everything going on. That boy was much more active then he gave himself credit for.

No matter how much Shobu would say that he was a nobody, that he should just fade away, the boy understood what needed to be done, how it should be done and the best way to go about it. He understood everything far better than most adults twice his age and with more experience.

At the same time, he was much more humble and shy than any person around. His tone, expression, body language and way of speaking gave everything away, yet hid the most important parts from the world. Those same parts were only ever shown to a number of people that could be counted on one hand.

_Huh. Even if Seidō would want to see him, he would have to deal with Yuki, Mei and those other two first. Even if I let him, Yuki and Mei are guaranteed to pick a fight with him over this. Even Kō might get involved. He's been hanging around our office a bit, and I see him with my newphew a few times._

Akasora was pleased to know that he really did not have to worry about Shobu. That, even if he was not there, people were still around to be with his newphew and keep him both safe and happy.

He felt much more like a parent than he saw Seidō.

"Right. Now then, you need to answer. Which of those two options would you like?"

Seidō let out a sigh while turning on his Trigger.

"That answer is obvious. I will gladly take the third option of beating you then moving on."

* * *

"Rainbow yakisoba!" announced Mitsubachi as she proudly showed off a noodle dish that's coloration was obviously much too artificial.

They had visited around 13 "safe areas", but the children were showing no sign of tiring. Given the makeup of their muscle tissue, they had to have been feeling fatigue, but Rhinoceros Beetle 07 determined the chemical secretions in their brains must have been slowing their awareness of that fact.

_I wish..._

Rhinoceros Beetle 07 thought while an odd cracking noise could be heard from within its body.

_I wish I could deal with it in the same way..._

It was made from the Wanderers' best Trion Soldier's Trion.

Originally, Rhinoceros Beetle 07 could have easily taken a blast from an Ibis and could have regenerated almost instantly from a blast from a Meteora shot.

But the beetle was not actually all that tough.

It may have been similar to how the skin protecting an animal would rot if it was not made into a sturdy bag.

The slave was nothing more than a wonderful material. It was the master's job to make use of it.

"Mr. Beetle, why are you being so quiet?"

"Oh, no reason..."

"Are you hungry? You can seriously have half of my rainbow yakisoba!"

"I wish to decline that offer with all of my being..."

Rhinoceros Beetle 07 focused on rechecking its condition while hiding its internal destruction.

His fellow rhinoceros beetles and the Wanderers's best Trion Soldier, Pyrínas, had to still be pursuing them. The beetle had input the initial condition that the chance of danger was lower if they remained constantly on the move than if they remained in one place. And on top of that, it had decided letting their path be decided by those children's seemingly random ideas was harder to read than mechanically calculating out the shortest and most optimal escape route.

_Then again..._

It did mostly come down to the fact that Rhinoceros Beetle 07 and Stepney had simply given in to Michelle and Mitsubachi who were restlessly darting from one place to the next.

"Heh heh heh. I have filled in half the stamps."

Mitsubachi had bought a bag filled with various prism-shaped sugar candies, but after grabbing just two or three of them, she tied up the clear bag with a fluffily decorated wire.

"These are a present. I'll seriously put the, in a storage area."

It seemed the "storage area" was Rhinoceros Beetle 07's cannon barrel. Ever since they had acquired that fluffy wire, the girls had been tying bags filled with sweets to that cannon like it was a clothesline.

"A butterfly would seriously be cuter."

"(You are being prejudiced. Please think about it rationally. You cannot tell them apart from moths.)"

"Hah hah hah. Yes, but a rhinoceros beetle with a black shine would seriously look just like a cockroa-..."

The beetle vibrated its giant thin wings to block out the rest of her comment with a reverse phase sound wave.

There were some things that simply should not be said.

"Um, can we get back to the real issue at hand...?" asked the beetle.

"Hm? What's that?"

"Your earlier comments suggested you wished to take action to save Pyrínas, but how do you plan to do that...? One problem that occurs to me is that we do not know where he is anymore..."

"Mr. Beetle, can't you use some kind of reverse tracking to find out where he is?" Stepney looked down from his spot on the beetle's back. "I figure that you are connected in some way that can track each other, which can be used backwards. If that's true, having you been doing something so they can't track you?"

"Stepney, that sounds seriously complicated! What are you even saying?"

"That is..."

Rhinoceros Beetle was going to finish with "...strangely accurate", but it did not put that part to words.

Even someone who had no reason to target Michelle, Stepney and Mitsubachi directly could use that as a reason to target the children in order to pursue Pyrínas.

Also, Michelle, Stepney and Mitsubachi seemed to want to help unconditionally, so they had given no thought to what would happen once they found Pyrínas. The beetle approved of the idea of saving him, but approaching him unconditionally was like asking to be attacked. They needed some kind of plan.

"Anyway, we bought a bunch of presents, so let's go seriously meet him now."

"(I already told you I get to go first! Don't run off like that!)"

Rhinoceros Beetle 07 heard the sound of a large crack forming as it began pursuit of those girls who had run off in some random direction once more.

_Measuring self collapse pattern. Adding burden caused by travel method. Beginning simulation... Some ability to control direction of crack advancement proven..._

Rhinoceros Beetle 07 could not avoid the cracks from forming, but it seemed able to control where they formed and how quickly they spread with its own actions.

The beetle called up a few tactical patterns and came to a conclusion.

_Cutting off crack advancement towards body surface... Readjusting direction of collapse towards inner portions of body... I need to remember that Stepney is on top of me..._

Even if it was made of Trion, no one would normally decide to allow their inner structure be eaten away to protect their outer appearance.

And yet Rhinoceros Beetle 07 chose to do so.

If its damage was discovered, Michelle and Mitsubachi's random movements would be restricted.

The beetle had determined one of the reasons they had yet to be attacked was because of the randomness of their movements that no adult could predict.

That meant the worst thing they could do was stay in one place.

The beetle saw no meaning in drawing out their utterly useless emotions in that moment.

"Hey! Hurry up! The rainbow yakisoba is going to get cold before we can give it to him!"

"Understood..." said Rhinoceros Beetle 07 using the artificial voice created by its giant wings.

It then began to think.

According to the data related to Pyrínas that had been inputted into it as general knowledge, he was trying to acquire a large amount of information by consuming Michelle.

Once he had seen his "target", he would head straight for it while ignoring any obstacles in the way. It did not matter if there was lava or a concrete wall in between.

But if Pyrínas only knew how to head straight for his target without taking any danger into account, could it be possible to set up a trap?

Or could something cause him to no longer view Michelle as his target and stray from that path?

_But in both cases, I have too little sample information... And it is much too dangerous to attempt to gather information on the scene..._

The beetle of course could not entrust the children to such a reckless plan.

If it came to it, Rhinoceros Beetle 07 would have to place itself in between them.

In its perfect state, Rhinoceros Beetle 07 was a monster supported by the Trion Soldier they were trying to help. It was possible it would be able to acquire some information during a fight with Pyrínas that could be used as a hint. Even if it broke itself apart for breaking an unspoken rule.

_But..._

Ominous cracks were beginning to run through Rhinoceros Beetle 07's body.

How long it would last was an unknown value.

In the worst case, it could even shatter like a piece of glasswork during the clash.

_From the beginning, I had incorporated into the plan that I will eventually be destroyed..._

Rhinoceros Beetle 07 thought silently while speeding up its legs to catch up with Michelle and Mitsubachi.

It had to make sure the children suspected nothing.

_But I hope to find some method of ensuring their safety before I am destroyed..._

It looked up into the sky.

The sky was entirely dyed blue. Its shade was as clear as an answer reached via proven formulas.

But a large building was also in the sky.

For some reason, the large screen on its side was showing an image of schoolgirls in swimsuits.

"The beauty contest at the main stadium is causing lots of excitement on this day! The amazing freedom of allowing outsiders to participate and allowing the contestants to bring their own swimsuits has really raised the level of the competition! I'm sure some of you are wondering if bandages or bandaids really count as swimsuits, but let's not worry too much about that! But of those with normal swimsuits, the two with the most focus are definitely Border's Tsukimi Ren-san and the well-known and busty Kunichika Yuu-san! I've gotta say, they are pretty damn amazing!"

"I am only up here because my friends forced me."

"I just need to ask: why did I all of a sudden find myself on this stage doing this?"

Rhinoceros Beetle 07 did not want the girls staring at that, so it opened up the pieces of armor used to store its giant wings and blocked the children's view.

Having that formulaic blue sky filled with the color of skin seemed to ruin it in a few different ways.

* * *

He had a plan.

Akasora already figured out what his plan was. As he ran through the city, being followed by Tenryū Seidō, he put his plan into motion. He secretly spread out wires. He put two types out. One was for Seidō to see and dodge while the other...

"Meteora."

The first shot came.

Actually, it was less of a shot and more of a bombardment.

An explosive noise split the air.

Those who knew the area the two were in would know that the buildings around them were actually quite large. A blast of green smashed into the one of buildings that Akasora hid behind. The building didn't stand a chance and started to fall.

Seidō had tried to take out Akasora with the first hit to get him in his real body. The other shots were fired in order to take him out while in his real body.

His measurements had been off due to the wires spread out through the area.

The second layer of wires that were thin.

Originally, Akasora had been intending to use them for a trap to tangle up his opponent, but he ended up using in a different way. As a result, the wires sliced straight through the buildings they were connected to so they would block the trajectory of the blasts.

The shot hit one of the buildings which slightly altered its trajectory. This prevented Akasora from going back into his real body.

But…

"That," said the cold man chasing Akasora, "won't work again."

Another single shot came flying toward Akasora. It was likely simply being shot as a large blast to take out anything with brute force.

But Akasora knew what to do.

By making it past the first shot, he had gained the important information of which direction Seidō was aiming for. He also knew how quickly the shots flew. With that much information, he could deal with them as long as he focused.

Akasora's right hand naturally reached for the sword hanging at his waist.

With his quick movement and strong blade, he thought he could deal with the shots as they headed his way.

However, just before he pulled the blade from its scabbard, Akasora's body stiffened.

He knew the feeling he had right at the bottom of his gut. It was the feeling he saw in every opponent who he had used his Side Effect against.

His Side Effect was, in basic terms, an enhancement in his intimidation. It was a Side Effect that could only work on things that understood danger.

He was facing a person with a similar Side Effect.

Akasora just barely managed to sneak himself out of it and avoid the shot by bending backward. It had slightly grazed him as it passed.

With him being on the edge of a building the balance he had was gone, making him start to fall. Having missed its target, the shot once more struck a building. It held just as much destructive power as the previous one.

"Wow~ I guess you're just as good as ever."

"The same can be said of you."

This time, no attack came.

Instead, the attacker himself charged toward Akasora with tremendous speed. He just barely remained below the speed of where he couldn't turn or change direction if necessary.

The theory that the attacker might be Seidō, and not someone who was using a Trion body to look like him, had been more or less proven with that bombardment and overwhelming speed. Seidō's capacity was about equal to Akasora's and Shinoda's. That being said...

Since it really was Seidō, there was not enough of a gap between their strengths for Akasora to defeat him in a single strike.

"Tsk!"

Just as Akasora drew his sword, a heavy push was felt on the blade. It was due to the blow from Seidō's blade that approached silently at high speed.

Seidō, the attacker, was a man with black hair that ended just below his black eyes. He was the same age as Akasora and Shinoda. He wore an outfit that seemed to mix different styles with Indian, Chinese and American mixed in.

He gave an odd impression. And yet, as a whole, it all had an odd sense of unity. It looked as if he had multiple tricks up his sleeve and execute each one with much room to spare.

He was always a bit of a show off.

Akasora pressed his sword as far forward as he could and looked at Seidō's sword. It was an like the ones used by agents who wanted more power in their strikes.

It was Kōgetsu.

"It's been a tie between the three of us," Seidō said as he gripped the hit with both hands. "We're each at 50 wins with each other."

"Let's fix that now."

Seidō moved his arms. The movement was to pull his blade back. He did this to create a gap of a few centimeters between the two blades and then being swung in a curving arc toward Akasora once it was free.

It was not simply being swung down with no real thought being put into it. It was a refined attack.

The strike was fast, sharp, and heavy enough to be referred to in that way. Akasora just barely managed to catch it on his own sword. Even after fighting this man for a long time he just barely manged that block. Immediately after Akasora realized that fact, Seidō began sending blow after blow with with blade.

The exchange caused showed Akasora just how much the other had changed.

That wasn't all.

At some point, Seidō had pulled out a Scorpion blade. He was now attacking with what could be called a Trion-made Daishō pair of swords.

Not only that, but he was not just fast. He was not just raining blows down. Each attack was thought out and tried to slip through Akasora's defenses and the blows against his blade held a murderous intent that wore on one's mind. Akasora's eyes grew sharp as he felt that intent and swung his blade repeatedly at the same speed.

Seidō did not just force his way through using his power. He could only produce such blows because he had decided he would win and had trained and trained to bring himself to this point.

Meaning he was now on the exact same level as Akasora.

Akasora put even more force and speed into his blade.

But Seidō was able to keep up. Having fought multiple times wasn't any help at this point.

Then something changed.

As they clashed something felt off.

Akasora had a more animalistic style that seemed to be smashing through Seidō's own attacks.

"Tch."

Seidō jumped back seeming to have realized something.

Akasora glared he held his sword out at the ready. Seidō switched to a two-handed grip on his blade and looked down at it.

The blade had chipped in places. Like a poor-quality comb, it had thin, irregularly spaced gaps a few centimeters deep running along it. During their exchange of blows, Akasora's own blade had eaten into his.

When it came to a fight of equals who used the same weapon, the best bet one could hope for was that they would have more Trion to destroy their opponent's weapon.

"So you have the same amount of Trion as before, huh?"

"Like I'd let it rot away. I've only been a teacher for a year, but I still continued to train with the agents I helped in Border. Not to mention that score you said before was wrong. My score with Masafumi is 71 to 70 with me in the lead."

"I see."

There was no major visible change, but the murderous intent he had been sending straight forward receded. He had changed to a defensive stance or perhaps one for retreat. He may have been thinking of leaving while the damage was minimal. Seidō had completely switched out his strategy.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"Don't get me wrong here. My objective isn't you... Yet. I only came after you because I wanted to know if you really did get better than before. I've got another top priority to attend to."

"So you thought that I really didn't have Shikifuku on me."

"It appears that I was wrong."

Seidō smiled.

As Seidō started to turn away, Akasora lowered his hips slightly and focused on Kōgetsu. He had been on top in the exchange of blows with the same weapon. If he pushed forward, he could break the sword.

"Is this really such a good idea?" asked Seidō even though he did not seem too interested. "Remember that Mikado City is still trapped within itself. Border HQ and the branches are covered in Trion and it will be hard to escape."

While the branches around Mikado City were strong they couldn't handle every soldier that was there. If the base had been under lockdown then the branches could be overtaken and something bad could happen to them. Not to mention his own branch, along with Mei and Ninomiya, weren't even at the city right now.

"... They will get out..." Akasora got a dark look on his face as he readied his blade. "The agents of Border will definitely get out and take out each and every soldier."

"If you say so."

* * *

Like Akasora had said, every agent that had been trapped on the main base were now free and going around Mikado City to help out. Multiple B-Ranks went to see if the civilians were fine while the A-Ranks and remaining B-Ranks went on the hunt for the humanoid Neighbors and Trion soldiers.

The Attackers started to take out the animal-like soldiers running around the city while the Shooters and Snipers targeted the falcon-like ones in the air. Everyone moved so well in synch that you wouldn't think there had been panic a little while ago.

The Operators quickly relayed any new information to their squads. It didn't take even a second for them to quickly say the new information. This helped to get any squad from one point to another.

The branches that had been freed were grateful for the backup and continued to take out the soldiers around them.

It couldn't be seen from a single point, but with an bird's eye view one could see that the Border agents managed to get both in front and behind the soldiers. They started pushing the Trion soldiers towards the Border base.

To be more accurate they were pushing them into the Forbidden Zone.

The agents had been told that the civilians were crowding around certain parts of the city. They decided that they would start to regulate the civilians back into their natural routes, so moving all the fighting towards the Forbidden Zone was the best option.

While this was going on Shinoda was making his way to the area where his two old friends were fighting. He had gotten a message saying what had happened to Akasora and that put him right into action.

He had been their friends for a long time now so he knew what was going on with the two of them. He also figured out what Seidō was really after, making it all the important for him to reach the two.

Meanwhile...

"Looks like you're having some trouble, Jin."

The brunet gave a grin as Tachikawa, Miwa, Yoneya and Izumi arrived on the scene. His face had some cracks running along his cheeks and his right leg was no better. Fujin was held tightly in his hand, yet not so much that it was useless.

"Glad you guys got out," Jin said while facing forward. "This guy has a Black Trigger too. It can take in any attack that touches his hand and recreate it for him to use freely. It was even able to take Fujin's ranged slashes."

"Whoa~ Now that sounds like a tricky Trigger," Yoneya commented as he readied his spear.

"We just need to stay away from his hands, right?"

A cube of Trion appeared next to Izumi as he spoke. The cube split up into smaller ones before being shot towards Futoyuki.

"If it was that easy then that man would have won by now," Hatomi, the old man, said from the side. He didn't seem like he would be getting involved in the fight at all. "Please think through things better than that."

Futoyuki just gave a grin as he held out his hands. He looked like he was going to catch the shots, but missed when they changed direction and headed for his back. He quickly turned around and swiped at the shots.

The shots were gone.

"So that's what it's like, huh...? That's rather irritating."

"Thanks for the new amo!" Futoyuki said energetically.

He swiped his hand in front of him.

Multiple shots of Trion shot forward.

The Border A-Ranks tried to block the shots. The thing was that the shots changed direction and came at them from the sides. They were all able to escape the shots without any hit though.

Hatomi watched on with calculating eyes. He watched each person's movements and started to think about if he had to enter the battle or not.

_He's still too inexperienced with his Trigger. Only using his hands to take in the attacks..._

The old man let out a sigh as he crossed his arms.

_Regardless, he's winning while only using his hands. These agents aren't too bad though. That long range one's shots are pretty accurate and that man with the glasses has lasted this long._

Futoyuki swiped his hand across the ground. Marks started running along the ground, making the agents jump up to dodge the slashes that had been taken from the Black Trigger known as Fujin.

Miwa didn't say anything as he started running to the side while shooting his Lead Bullets. He could see that the others were also running to cage the Neighbor in and leave him with no openings.

Futoyuki brought up his hands to use his Trigger's unique ability. The Trigger that was able to make another Black Trigger almost completely useless and take on multiple A-Rank Border agents.

He was a little shocked when the weights appeared all over his arm. He fell to the ground as the weight of them all was too much for him.

The agents took this as their chance. Izumi shot out Hound while Tachikawa, Jin, Yoneya and Miwa went in with their blades. Each of them were determined to take this opponent out was quickly as they could.

They had already figured out that he could only take in attacks from his hands, so they used it to their advantage and tried to cut off his hands.

But...

"Thank you."

Jin, Tachikawa and Miwa jumped back before they reached the Neighbor. Yoneya on the other hand was now missing the blade of his spear. It reformed by using Yoneya's Trion, but that just meant he had to use up more to reform it. Any Trion waisted was never a good thing.

Especially against an opponent like this.

Futoyuki stood up, now free from the weights. He swatted the shots that headed for him, making them disappear like the ones fired before that. He moved both arms in the air horizontally and the effect it had was that of Hound.

The bullets followed each agent, but were dodged.

Except one.

Yoneya blocked one of the shots with his spear and went wide eyed when he had to drop it. A weight was embedded into it, making it too heavy to hold.

"Now then, let's continue."

"An irritating Trigger indeed..."


	7. Regalia - Human_of_Flesh_and_Blood

"Tenryū Aonegai" gave a small whine as she looked around. She had been left by Seidō so that they could spread out and do what needed to be done.

But what needed to be done?

She had been trying to remember what exactly needed to be done. There had to be a reason she fought against Border under the ground and with a B-Rank agent.

What was more was that there were tons of Trion Soldiers walking around at this point. That did not help her to remember at all, yet she felt like it might if she continued on like this.

She held the trident Trigger tightly in her hands as she hid behind a building. She did not want to use up too much Trion, so she stuck to hiding behind buildings and waited for the right moment to move.

Seeing that the area was clear, she started walking out from behind the building. She looked at the ground as she started mumbling to herself.

"He often complains about that family... Does it have anything to do with them? It probably does."

As she continued to walk, she didn't see where she was going and bumped into something.

That something had turned out to be a bear-like Trion Soldier. It turned around and let out a roar before going in to attack her.

Being quick with to reaction, "Tenryū Aonegai" brought up her trident and stabbed the bear-like solder in its core.

She heard some steps and looked around to see multiple deer-like soldiers around her. She quickly got up and got her trident ready.

The first Trion Soldier ran forward.

She easily slashed at it, cutting it in half. She did the same for the other ones that went straight for her.

She moved the trident from one hand to the other while twirling it smoothly using her wrist. None of the soldiers seemed to be a problem for her as she cut through them like sciccors cutting through paper.

"These are so weak."

Just as she said that, a small squirrel soldier jumped onto her face.

Not being able to see, "Tenryū Aonegai" started waving her trident around without a single target. She could feel like she was cutting some of them up as she tried to get the one on her face off, but could not be too sure.

That was all it took.

The deer-like soldier all rushed at her at the same time. They all started hitting her from one to the other. After a few more hits, she was covered in a puff of smoke. Now she stood on the street with a destroyed squirrel-like soldier on the ground and now in her real body.

One of the deer-like soldiers ran towards her again. She manged to dodge by falling to the ground.

The soldiers started getting closer and closer to her. It seemed like they were determined to trample her to death now. Each one started slamming their feet onto the ground.

"Tenryū Aonegai" looked on afraid for her life. She started sweating as she looked at the ones in front of her. She could not rebuild her Trion Body right now, meaning she had no way to deal with them all.

They all charged at her.

Not knowing what else to do, "Tenryū Aonegai" ducked her head and covered her face. Since she could not see she did not see the person that ran towards her.

"Trigger on!"

She heard multiple sounds from ones that sounded like slashes and other that were the obvious roars of the soldiers.

"Are you okay?"

Looking up from her poison, "Tenryū Aonegai" saw Wakamura by her in his Trion Body. He wasn't looking at her, but she knew he was talking to her. She looked around to see multiple fallen soldiers and Hoshi off to the side.

"I'm fine..."

Something finally dawned on her. She had taken a quick look at Wakamura and saw that he was only holding a gun.

She didn't hear a single gun being fired just now.

"D-did she just...take _all_ of them out!?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah. She just saved you." Wakamura gave off the impression that this was nothing, but there was a small something in his tone that sounded like he was amazed himself. "I guess that's to be expected though."

"Yeah... She's a Taiyōko..."

"That's not what I was talking about. I mean she's a good fighter _._ "

"Tenryū Aonegai" continued to look at Wakamura, who was now busy shooting at the Trion Soldier while Hoshi cut through the others. She gave him a deadpan expression, which got his attention. He took a quick glance down as she opened her mouth.

"Hey... Are you two dating?"

"Wh-what!? Focus on the matter in front of us! Don't get distracted like that!"

"Sorry, sorry! That happens!"

"Uh... Thanks for this..."

"This isn't the time for that. We are kinda busy here."

"R-right! My bad! Sorry!"

Wakamura let out a small sigh as he stood next to "Tenryū Aonegai". He was shooting at any Trion Soldier that happened to make it by Hoshi, or any that came from behind. There was actually little for him to do when compared to the girl who was dancing around the battlefield.

He would have told the girl next to him to run and hide, but that wasn't an option as they were completely surrounded.

Even with Hoshi moving from one Trion Soldier to the next there was little room to move about and make an escape. What was more was the fact that these Trion Soldiers had both speed and power, only comparable to that of a regular person, but that seemed to be enough.

"..."

"Um... Shouldn't you stop taking glances at her when you should be fighting?"

Wakamura ignored the girl and turned away to fire more at the soldiers coming at them. He would later come to deny it but his truly were stuck to Hoshi as she continued on with their fight against the small army. Even now he could not help but take glances to the side.

The whole ordeal was not completely his fault as Hoshi made swift and accurate attacks to the point where single hits were all that it took to cut down the core of each one. When compared to any other person she seemed much more like dancer going through a crowd by following the beat than like some person fighting to protect something.

The thought of telling her how she looked both elegant as well as cool came about even as he continued to fire.

"Waka-kun."

Not noticing that the girl had moved back to stand next to the two, Wakamura accidentally jumped a bit, making "Tenryū Aonegai" laugh a bit under her breath.

"I'm going to need you to stop firing for...about a minute...or so. I'm sorry if that seems like I'm asking a lot. I don't mean to be disrespectful or anything like that! Ah... Yeah. I probably seems that way..."

"No! No! Not at all! I'm just wondering why you want me to do that. We need to take them out quickly, so wouldn't it be better for me to keep firing?"

"I know, but... I just want to do something r ally quick... Ah! If that's fine by you, of course!"

"..."

Seeing the girl start to fidget nervously while also seeming to be alter, Wakamura let out yet another sigh.

"Fine. I'll stop firing for a moment. Just please make it quick."

"Thank you!"

With a smile towards Wakamura and a tightened grip on Kōgetsu, Hoshi walked forward with purpose.

When she was only a few feet away from the Trion Soldiers did she make any sort of move.

_I was having such a wonderful time with Wakamura-kun. I try to maintain patience when needed, but I am actually really mad right now. You couldn't have given me a few more minutes of that!?_

Being calm and collected, Hoshi moved her sword up as multiple Trion Soldiers rushed her. She sliced one of them before quickly slashing at each that attacked her. The whole time she slashed at them not a single step was taken.

Each swing of her sword was made with the same speed and precision as the ones before. Unlike a few seconds ago there was a bit of ferocity in the attacks she was used to take out the Trion Soldiers. As if to show her anger without expressing it with words and expressions.

Something that had been implemented into these Trion Soldiers, as opposed to the usual Bambster and Marmod, was the ability to tell when a retreat would be better. It had been put into their coding so that forces would remain after using them for an attack.

Hoshi let out a confused hum when she noticed that they were no longer attacking her and instead were moving back. That meant she would have to take the initiative by taking a single step forward.

Even with her feet touching the ground for only a few seconds she was able to teleport from one of the Trion Soldiers to another with little lag time. Each teleportation was not wasted as each time she appeared a Trion Soldier would end up hitting the ground.

Wakamura and "Tenryū Aonegai" could only stare in amazement as they saw the opposing numbers fall as quickly as the girl moved. It seemed like they were not needed at all when in front of such a sight. It was above the level of a normal B-Rank, Wakamura noted while looking down at his gun.

_This seems different than when she's fighting in the rank wars though. If she moved like this then she would probably have been able to take on both me and Katori with little issue. So why did she hold back then...?_

"She's pretty amazing. I guess that's to be expected of someone with the Taiyōko blood running through them."

Wakamura's chose to ignore that comment as Hoshi made her way back to them.

"Okay. I'm fine now. I am sorry about all of that.

Wakamura was ready to comment on what they had just seen. It was amazing to watch and there was a need to tell her thoughts came to a halt once he felt the ground start to shake.

The sound of a large object moving towards them could be heard.

Wakamura's and Hoshi got ready for whatever it seemed to be.

What they did not expect was a giant bear that looked like a stuffed animal.

The massive Trion Soldier was a bigger than a Bambster.

"Big, fluffy Kuma-san!"

Wakamura's was surprised to heard the two girls yell out such a thing with a glint in their eyes.

_Why the heck would anyone make a Trion Soldier like this!?_

Wakamura ignored the two girls and started firing his gun at the giant bear.

The attacks seemed to be doing little as the large bear only scratched its stomach as if it was a real bear.

Wakamura's got prepared to run away with the two girls as he moved in front of them, ready to fire even more powerful bullets.

"That bear is huge!"

" _Of course_ you're with that girl."

Hearing two familiar voices, Wakamura turned around to see his own squad standing there with Ikoma Squad there as well. Well, only two members to be exact. He completely ignored the comment from his captain in order to give a small glare towards the other captain that was there.

He was unsure as to why he felt a bit of ire when he saw Ikoma.

"Do we have to hurt Kuma-san!?" Hoshi whined while ponting to the soldier.

"What kind of stupid question is that? Of course we have to! We're going to break this damn thing apart or it'll mess up the city, you stupid girl!"

Katori landed next to Hoshi and slapped her head.

Hoshi got a dejected look as she looked down. She started mumbling things that sounded like excuses, but didn't actually vocalize any of them loud enough.

Then she felt a hand on her head.

"I'll get ya a big, fluffy Kuma-san to replace this one. How's that sound?"

Hoshi started up at Ikoma with a wide, starry-eyed look.

"Can we just get rid of this already?" Wakamura asked rather forcefully.

"Hey, girl! Hurry up and use that Trigger already!"

Hoshi was shocked when she was suddenly pushed forward by a kick from Katori. She rubbed her butt as she looked back to see the other girl glaring down at her.

She let out a small whimper, but got up and held her blade up.

"What Trigg-"

"Fujin..."

Just as Ikoma turned to the girl she was gone and high into the air.

While in the air Hoshi held her blade back as 7 ribbons of green lights sprouted from the blade and floated behind her. She raised the blade above her head as she fell and brought it down with her fall.

The ribbons of green lights moved around while in the air.

All of them touched the Trion Soldier while the blades went straight down the middle of it.

When she touched the ground, Hoshi turned around.

Just as she turned around, the giant Trion Soldier split into multiple pieces.

More accurately...

It was cut up into different pieces from the Trigger she had just used.

The two from Ikoma Squad and "Tenryū Aonegai" simply stared in shock as the pieces started to fall. They were going to warm Hoshi about the falling pieces, but were too shocked as she slashed at them, cutting them even more.

"Tsk. That girl really pisses me off."

"You're the one who told her to use that Trigger."

* * *

Hatohara Minoru ran through the streets of Mikado City while taking out the animal-like Trion Soldiers that had their sights set on him. He had seen that the main base was free from its prison and that multiple agents were going around and taking out the soldiers, but he himself had other things to worry about.

He had been informed that a certain heterochromatic girl was currently in the city with no reliable supervision. Suzume had managed to tell him about Rhinoceros Beetle 07 and the children, or at least what Satori and Kitora knew. It was not something he particularly wanted to hear.

Looking for those children and the Trion Soldier was his current priority. Taking out the Trion Soldiers around him happened to line up in front if his goal, letting him kill two birds with ones stone.

The issue that came up was that he had no clue as to where those children could be. There was hardly any signal for him to follow and the entire city was currently filled with Trion Soldiers of different kinds. It would take more than him to do anything about it all.

"Hound."

Multiple shots from multiple directions rained down on the area around Minoru. The Trion Soldiers that were around him fell to the ground as their cores were destroyed by the rain.

"Ah~ You're really in a rush, Mino. I guess that's fair when you have someone to look for. I can understand since I want to find Shiro-chan right now."

Minoru looked around and saw multiple Shooters and Gunners around. The one currently speaking was his best friend - Inukai Sumiharu.

"Just leave this to us for now. I plan to meet up with Shiro-chan later. For now..." Inukai fired more shots while looking away from Minoru. "There's another fighting going on that you'd be better to handle than here. This isn't the best place for you."

Minoru was sent all the information on said battle and nodded his head. This was all he needed to know at this point.

If he could help to end all these battles then he would not have to worry about the children.

With no other choice, Minoru ran off in the directions the army of Shooters came from.

"These ones don't seem to really be trying. I suppose that's fine when they have numbers on their side. One thing can always make up for something else after all."

"As long as we get this done and over with I highly doubt we'll have any complaints. That being said... Kako-san, don't you think it would be better to focus on the fight over other things right now?"

"Yamamoto-kun, you're too uptight. Maybe those glasses mess with your head after wearing them for so long. Yeah. That's probably it."

Yamamoto Yorushi clicked his tongue while not being able to speak up against the teasing. There was no point in doing so when he would rather focus on the Trion Soldiers in front of them.

The sturdiness of the soldiers seemed to come from an outside source instead of their own cores that were hidden within their bodies. That meant that every time a Trion Soldier got destroyed or get attacked they would regenerate by using an outside source.

"This is rather infuriating."

As that statement filled the battlefield, a bright light shot passed him and was aimed for the Border agents behind him. Some were able to dodge it, but others weren't so lucky and ended up having to Bail Out. What was more was that the buildings they had been standing on were also destroyed.

Yorushi quickly turned to see three giant crab-like soldiers walk forward. They were bigger than a Marmod, but smaller than a Bambster. Each one had what looked to be a small canon implanted into them.

"Is that..."

"These are soldiers made after analyzing a certain agent's style of shooting," a voice said from one of the soldiers. The voice seemed to come from an outside source as well. As if a speaker had been implanted into the Trion Soldier. "You could say that it's my version of that Laser-Shooter Trigger. I really hope you all enjoy."

The canons imbedded into the crab-like soldiers looked like they were storing up power to fire their own laser-like beams. Meanwhile, Yorushi let out a sigh while preparing his own attacks to counteract this new attack.

And then…

Multiple beams of light flew through the air, aiming for the Border agents. The laser-like beams seemed to be on par with the originals they were based off of and would destroy anything in their path. A simple Shield would not be enough to simply block this attack.

"Oh please. This is nothing like the real Laser-Shooter."

Kako let out a huff as she, Nasu and Inukai blocked the attack with relative ease by putting up their defenses. The laser-like beams continued to tear through the air without breaking the defense that seemed to be made thick enough to prevent even cracks from forming.

"Besides-"

Before she could finish, three laser-like beams shot through the middle crab-like soldier, getting both its cannon and core.

The one who shot through the soldier like it was paper jumped up on the top of it and looked around to see multiple smaller soldiers coming forward.

"Gimme a break. What was that crappy excuse for a light?" As he said this, he turned to the one on his right and fired multiple beams at it. "That was a poor, pathetic imitation."

His tone gave away his irritation; as if he had just been insulted in the most obvious and painful way. With his back turned to one of the soldiers, it decided to fire right at him. The air ripped apart from a laser-like beam being fired.

It was fired right into the Trion Soldier.

"Oh, shut up already."

Suzume, Satori, Kitora and Tobh walked onto the scene to see the destructions that had come from the irritated Takeshi. It was obvious that they would not be able to calm him down for a while, making things seem worse by the second,

"Wow. They really were copying Take. That's just asking for it." Toby shook his head as he spoke.

"This is honestly a large amount of soldiers. What do you think si really going on?"

"You people saw me at the mall, huh?" Takeshi spoke while looking at the Trion Soldiers with a dull look as he fixed his scarf. "So you used the data from there to make these dull replicas. Scew you!"

The multiple orbs around Takeshi's head fired multiple beams that quickly took out the smaller soldiers while leaving a trail of explosions that weren't too big.

"Hyuuuu~~"

"Super pretty fireworks," Kako said with a grin.

While watching his teammate fire off relentless attacks that left some of the other Shooters with nothing more to do then clean up, Tobh could only thing of finding his younger brother to tell him see thing important.

That being to stay clear of Takeshi if he happens to see him on the street.

Takeshi looked around, completely oblivious to what Toby was thinking about him and his violent way of attacking.

"Wait…"

The Shooter was not even looking in the Trion Soldiers' direction.

With fellow Shooters on either side of him, the B-Rank captain brushed up his hair and spoke to no one in particular.

"Where is Hoshi? Really now. If you're going to ask us to meet up later on, can't you give us some better information than just the direction where you're at?"

"Well, maybe she honestly had to move to another part of the city to help out."

The agents did not hesitate to walk right into the center of the commotion. It was as if this did not leave the realm of their everyday life.

Meanwhile, the Border agents who had just seen some amazing Trion Soldiers get destroyed let out a small sigh of relief before turning to Takeshi.

"That was a nice sight and all, but that was a bit of overkill, wasn't it?"

"Shut the hell up."

Some of Border agents had no time to react as the laser-like beams shot right through more Trion Soldiers.

They wanted to complain, but...

An explosive noise rang out.

Over ten animal-like Trion Soldiers flew through the air like a part of a joke.

But this was not due to the conflict between the Laser-Shooter user. It had happened in the distant area of the Forbidden Zone.

What was that…?

Some of them frowned and looked around.

They saw…

* * *

"This is horrible~"

This area was filled with lights flying around and hitting multiple Trion Soldiers in the process. Six people moved throughout the area while going from one soldier to the next without even looking back at the damage they caused.

"These things are just a waist of Trion. Maybe we can take some from their cores to boost our own supply!"

"Stop being such an irritation and keep destroying these damn! Irritating! Things!"

"Can't you two just stop talking at fight already? You're both annoying."

"Shut the hell up, Kikuchihara!"

They were both high-ranking squads. One was Kazama Squad, a high-ranked A-Rank squad. The other was Hikigane Squad, a high-ranked B-Rank Squad.

They were powerful squads that showed just how they got their ranking.

They were all quick on their feet with Kazama Squad using their united team attacks to take out the larger Trion Soldiers while Hikigane Squad did the opposite and split up to take out as much as possible.

It didn't matter how fast or powerful the Trion Soldiers could attack. One squad had the use of a Trigger that hid them from sight while the other one had such an animalistic style that they easily dodged hits and destroyed the cores of each soldier.

That being said, one particular person from these six decided to go trigger happy (no pun intended) and fire off Meteora all around as he hacked and slashed at the smaller soldiers.

"Jinsei! Stop being an irritation and fire more accurately! You almost blew me up there!"

"Sorry~ Sorry~ Not sorry~"

"I heard that last one!"

Kazama Squad chose to ignore the other B-Rank tea, while giving some credit to Girikage for having survived with that squad for so long.

* * *

"All these shits are annoying!"

A loud roar exploded out and several soldiers collapsed to the ground. Several dozen other soldiers were surrounding three other squads. Well, they weren't complete squads, but still there nevertheless.

One was a man with black hair and an outfit to match. He also had sharp teeth for whatever reason. Two others were girls with one holding a large scythe and the other holding a Kōgetsu in each hand. Lastly were two boys with each holding a Kōgetsu.

The two girls and the two males kept their distance from the rampaging man in black nearby. They weren't sure if they should be watching out for the Trion Soldiers that looked like animals or the guy in black that was more of an animal than anything.

"Why the hell is he even this mad?" one of the girls asked. She was the captain of her squad, that squad being the B-Rank Tsukiko Squad. "I know he always looks pissed off, but this is crazy."

"Don't go asking me. As long as he doesn't cause us to Bail Out then I'm fine with it," the girl with the scythe said. "Seriously though... He supposedly gets back to Mikado City and the first thing he does is force us to fight with him."

"You four!" the one in black yelled out. "Get your asses moving and take out more of these things!"

The four let out simultaneous sighs as they destroyed more Trion Soldiers.

* * *

One of Border's unranked A-Ranks, Bakuto Denji, looked puzzled as he placed a hand above his eyes.

"Oh? L'ks li'e a cer'n some'ne is a lil' mad~ Wonder wha' crawl'd up 'is ass th's time~"

He should have been taking out Trions Soldiers that he saw, but there were none to speak of around him. He was already standing above a large amount of destroyed Trion Soldiers.

When he had gotten trapped in the base with most of Border's agents he had simply relaxed and did not lift a single finger to help. Even when his own squad tossed him out to help, he simply slept in the hallway.

"W'll, si'ce 'm d'ne w'th ma job 'ere, I migh' a'swell go see wha' els' th're's at do."

He spoke with such a lazy and choppy style that anyone hearing him would have to have a translator at hand to try and figure out what he was saying.

"Th'se toys 're pre'y borin', so ma'be a Neighb'r wou' be a fun pl'yth'ng.

Despite how urgent the situation currently was, the 20-year-old man simply walked around as if he was taking a walk through a park. He knew other agents saw him, but he also knew that they wouldn't say anything against him.

Well, actually, one person refused to keep quiet about it.

It was Kumagai Yūko who ran up behind him.

"Wait! Wait just a second! You need to help out too! Shouldn't an A-Rank be more alert in times like these!?"

"Oh? S'rry 'bout tha', Kumako. I coul'n' care less ri' now. Th'se th'ngs 're borin' me ri' now."

"Are you kidding me!? Didn't you refuse to help the civilians so that you could fight these things?"

As she spoke, Kumagai cut through a few more Trion Soldiers that were headed for them. She was tempted to let some of them attack Denji, but figured she would take them out herself.

"Di' I r'lly do tha'? Hm. Can' 'member."

"Why you...!"

The two continued to go through Mikado City with the B-Rank taking out the soldiers that attacked while the A-Rank had a look that showed he couldn't care less about every single thing he saw.

* * *

The two were equals when it came to the sword, that was a given. The power scaling between Akasora Chishi and Tenryū Seidō was not large enough for either one to take advantage of without outside help from others.

Each attack with their Kōgetsu would be blocked as if they could predict exactly what the attack would be. The trading of blows did not seem to stop as the two continued to counter each other. They had fought multiple times before and currently held a tie between the two of them. This fight would be decided when one of them could get passed the other's defense and get a solid strike in.

Even when fighting this person, Akasora could not help but to wonder if Yuki and Ninomiya had made it to the city. He knew how they were and so worried about them while also wondering in the car he had left them with was even still on the road, as opposed to some didn't have due to their argument.

Being too busy thinking about the two he had left, Akasora could not focus on the man in front of him for a moment.

Seidō used that moment to his advantage.

He brought out a Scorpion to try to land a slash at Akasora while he wasn't paying attention.

Noticing the blade at the last moment, Akasora jumped back. He got ready to go for his own attack but halted once he noticed multiple shots fired at him. Asteroid was the best Trigger to use at such close range without it being a double-edged attack so knowing that cutting it would be an option.

The Asteroid shots fired provided enough time for a follow up attack.

Seidō moved forward with minimal steps; Kōgetsu already in a motion to run through Akasora.

With little thought the attack was stopped.

"!?"

Akasora moved his arm to the left.

"What the hell was that...?"

"Did you think I was going to be the same as before? That's actually something I learned from my student."

"...Now you can't use Senku."

"And you don't have a blade to fight with."

Akasora grinned at his friend's scowl.

While he could not use Kōgetsu to attack anymore, Seidō still had Gunner-type Triggers to use. Those were something to watch out for when the man was able to get in close with little effort.

_Still... Nice going, Yuki. Without you showing me what to do I would never have thought to use my own scabbard to sheath his Kōgetsu. Hm. Leave it to that guy to think up something to crazy._

It was moments like these that made Akasora proud to be a teacher. Not only did he get to watch his students grow up but he also leaned new things from them, realizing just how useful they were.

More accurately, he got to see just how smart his students were.

Seeing someone perform an action was different then actually performing the action. That was all the more reason he could be proud of his students. They would continue to create actions that he could only see and not perform. By the time he was capable of doing those actions they would be moving on to the next.

That may have been why he was glad not to have a Side Effect like Toby or Yuki where his body would move on its own.

" _Sensei_?"

Akasora halted for a moment upon hearing one of his student's voices.

_Hm? Yuki? Did you make it yet?_

_"If I was there it would probably too far away for me to contact you like this. We did make it there, but we started to make our way back to Mikado City. The reason being that we are going to help out there, as well as inform you about something. We managed to take out one of the Neighbors that came here. She was the one creating the large amounts of Trion Soldiers."_

Pride started to well up in his chest once more.

_That's good. By 'we' you mean you and Masataka? Now that's amazing._

_"We had Mei to help out as well. But I need to tell you to not come to the city. Kushi and Mu are fighting two other Neighbors that are in the other city, but the soldiers won't listen to them or any of the other Neighbors. The one we beat told us that someone took control of the Trion Soldiers, so we're going to go find them when we get back."_

_I see... I'm already at Mikado City. Actually... I'm in the middle of a fight right now. You guys hurry up over here to the workload can be lessened._

_"Oh thank you... Now I don't have to tell him not to take the train."_

_...Hey, idiot student of mine, you're still coming through loud and clear._

_"Geh! Ah! Hahaha..."_

_You guys destroyed the train, didn't you? Of course you did. I really shouldn't expect anything else from you lot._

_"It wasn't us! Whatever! We'll see ya then."_

Letting out a small sigh, Akasora focused back on the fight.

While he had been conversing with his student, Akasora had not noticed that he had been attacked by Asteroid, or that his opponent had been using that time to run towards his discard blade.

He said some cures under his breath towards his student while cutting through some if the shots as others were dodge.

Seidō had managed to grab his blade at the same time, putting them back to where they had previously been in their fight.

They both stood their ground for a few second.

"..."

"..."

It began a new.

The two rushed at each other with their blades at the ready. Like before, they easily countered each other's attacks while coming up with new strategies.

As the two traded blows they both thought back to when they use to fight. They started comparing how the other moved compared to their younger days. The difference could be seen from an outside view but only understood by the two currently in combat.

If they just used Kōgetsu that is.

Seidō managed to push Akasora back a bit and slammed his foot onto the ground.

Akasora brought up Kōgetsu to block the solid wall that came up from the ground. He was sent into the air from the push the barrier gave him.

While in the air, Akasora saw multiple shots fired at him from the ground.

_I'm not so adept at this as Yuki but..._

While his student was amazing in midair fighting he himself could only manage to twist his body enough to where the attacks only grazed him instead of landing direct hits. That was enough to survive that volley of attacks.

Seeing another chance, Seidō used Grasshopper to get above Akasora to slash at him.

Alasora was sent towards the ground, Kōgetsu facing the sky.

As he landed, Seidō combined two Asteroids together to make the powerful composite bullet known as Gimlet. He didn't waste any time in firing the composite bullet at the man.

All Akasora could do was roll on the ground while pushing himself up. It provided enough of an escape from the composite bullet but not from the attack coming from Seidō.

 _Teleport_!

Seidō knew what happened.

He turned around to properly face his opponent once more.

"Chishi, why don't you use Shikifuku? You have its 'emotions' don't you? Shouldn't you use it to attack me? That could end this fight quickly. Afterwards you can make your way to the actual battle going on."

"And what about you? You have Shikifuku's 'knowledge' after all. We know that you can stall as much as you want with it. Or even better... You can attack me with it. We both know that you have found a way to do so with it in such a small amount of time. That's how you had been fending off that Trion Soldier's attack, correct?"

"Hm. You're right. I guess it just feels off to use any part of Shikifuku if we do not have all the parts of it with us. We are still missing its 'willpower' after all. My chi... Shokubutsu has it, right? I guess we won't be having that fight, will we?"

"Right."

These things were not said because it was a Black Trigger. These words were spoken simply because that Black Trigger held such significance to both men.

That Black Trigger should have meant everything to the two men. Yet they refused to use it even now.

After all, they could not fight each other using the legacy that was left behind to them.

"...!"

"!"

Nothing more needed to be said for them to attack once more.

In a similar fashion as before, Akasora thrusted his blade forward with the intent to end it in a single strike. Unlike before, he did not have his blade taken away and thrown aside.

Not caring about being blocked, Akasora turned his body completely around and landed a solid kick to Seidō's side. While the kick didn't actually hurt the man it did send him sliding to the side.

It also gave Akasora the chance to use Teleport.

With a click of his tongue, Seidō brought up his hand to put up a Shield and block the attack.

There was no time to hesitate for Akasora; he continued to use Teleport to move around Seidō while said man continued to block or land a hit of his own. He was able to defend against most of the strikes, but still ended up with a few scratches that started leaking Trion.

Something like this was not something he had fought against before.

Having enough of circling around, Seidō shot Asteroid around him to keep the other at a distance.

He looked around for Akasora. When the man could not be seen on the ground it meant he had to look up to see him coming down to take him out.

Using brute force, Akasora now stood above Seidō with Kōgetsu pushing up against his defense. Seeing that he was about to get cut from the side, he put even more force and manged to break through the Shield.

He had taken an arm off of Seidō before jumping back.

Seeing that now his arm was gone, Seidō gave a small huff. He didn't seem to care since it was just a Trion Body.

He could take multiple hits. He could get body parts chopped off and send them flying, but it wouldn't matter since it was just a Trion Body. Only something made of Trion could hurt him in his Trion Body. Even then he wouldn't have to worry.

Not caring if he got a leg, or even his other arm, cut off, he ran forward with his Kōgetsu ready.

Akasora also ran forward with Kōgetsu ready.

There was a difference between the two.

A very distinct one that was obvious.

Akasora wanted to win and still be on his Trion Body. He would be able to go help around Mikado City without having to wait for a new Trion Body to be made or the Black Trigger known as Shikifuku to be put together.

Seidō wanted to win and did not seem to care about his Trion Body. Fighting was not his priority and he did not need to help anyone out during their time of need. Everything would be fine if he managed to take what he wanted while escaping.

The two clashed again.

They traded blows again.

For every slash made, a counter was made. For every counter, a defense was made. For every defense made, a trick was thought of.

Seidō had managed to push Akasora away.

He extended his severed arm forward. A long Scorpion blade came out from it and went for Akasora's head.

Akasora moved even further back to dodge the attack.

He thought of different plans to use, but he knew they would be countered. At the same time he was thinking of how to counter any attacks made towards him.

They both got ready for another round.

"..."

Seidō had to moved back as someone appeared above him.

Two attacks crashed into the ground. The person who made those attacks landed on top of them.

"Masafumi."

One person said the name in a small amount of shock.

One person said the name in a dull tone.

"Seidō, get out of that body and surrender." Shinoda held his Kōgetsu at his side while he spoke. "You can't take the both of us on. Especially like that. You won't get any lenience for leaving and stealing those Trigger, but the punishment won't be as bad as it would if you continue. We can even get a drink after you're let out of prison."

"A ferocious tiger with a soft heart."

That was all the man said as he threw his Kōgetsu forward.

"And what's with you guys and drinks?"

Letting out a small sigh, Shinoda easily blocked the attack and sent the blade flying off to the side.

He moved forward with the intent of ending the fight.

"Shikifuku."

Shinoda was surprised the moment he was trapped inside a yellow box.

Only a few seconds later was he freed when the yellow box started to crack from a well placed punch.

It had begun at last - the fight involving a single Black Trigger.

"Shikifuku."

One of the three pieces of Shikifuku rotated around Akasora's wrist like the rings of Saturn. It moved along a pink thread of Trion while lighting up his hands with the same color.

One of the three pieces of Shikifuku rotated around Seidō's wrist like the rings of Saturn. It moved along a yellow thread of Trion while lighting up his hands with the same color.

"I thought we weren't going to use this? Lying usually your thing."

"I had used it against Masafumi, so I'm not the one in the wrong here. You were the one who broke through with your piece. You are the one to use it against me first."

Shinoda watched both Akasora and Seidō as hugely slowly moved their arms. He was always amazed at the yellow and pink that came from using these pieces of Shikifuku. They had always been nice and radiant with no sort of blemish in their coloration.

He had a similar feel when using the final piece of Shikifuku, but that was neither here nor there. That piece was currently somewhere else and they could not go look for its holder at the moment.

What mattered right now was preparing for the fight between a single Black Trigger.

"Masafumi, get ready. You'll be the one to land the attacks. I'm just going to open a path for you. It's all I can really do since Shikifuku will just counter itself."

"Right. Just make sure to continue to put in the pressure. Don't mind me at all and keep moving forward. That's how I'm going to deal with both of your Side Effects."

When compared to the two of them right now, Shinoda Masafumi seemed much more like a regular member of Border. He had his regular Trigger and normal feeling while both Akasora and Seidō had Side Effects that continued to put pressure on anyone else with Black Triggers adding more for them.

Even so, he was the deciding factor in this fight. It did not matter how much emotion or knowledge a person had; Shikifuku would balance itself out if two of its pieces were to clash with each other. A person using Shikifuku could raise the power to max with their own humanity but that would all be dropped to zero when facing another user of Shikifuku.

When compared to the two of them right now, Shinoda Masafumi seemed much more like a regular member of Border. In reality he would be the strongest fighter between the three of them because he did not have the Black Trigger with him.

He would not be dropped to zero.

* * *

Two of them were taken out.

"Wow~ Wow~ Wow~ You three are still here! I'm especially happy to see you are still here!" Futoyuki looked directly at Jin as he spoke. "But are you sure you want to continue? I mean, I'm fine with a tie."

Even with multiple cuts and leaking Trion all over his body, Futoyuki spoke as if he had already won. His tone, his expression, his posture and even his general aura was that of someone who had won a long long battle. The right hand that had taken their attacks was lower than before, as if to say it was not needed anymore.

Contrary to that, Jin, Miwa and Tachikawa all sported missing limbs with Trion leaking from every open area of their bodies. Their ferocious attacks had been taken and fired back at them in some shape or form - be it Izumi's composite bullets or Fujin's remote slashes. They had managed a sort of stalemate at the moment but could not deal the finishing blow.

This opponentwas not all they had to worry about. The Trion Soldiers above their heads continued to move ominously while the other Neighbor had only been watching them from afar instead of taking any sort of action against them.

In a way that made things better for them seeing as they were having so much trouble with only this single person and this single Trigger.

No.

A single Trigger would be the wrong way to put it. It was more like they were fighting against all of the Triggers they themselves had used to attack the Neighbor.

"Now what? Even Jin's foresight isn't helping much here."

"Hey now..."

"Do you guys want me to give you a hint as to how to beat much Trigger?mi don't really mind too much if that's the case. It's actually only fair since I now know exactly what your guys can do with the ones I've taken in."

"That's fine. We've got a good idea as to what you can do. Rather, how your Trigger works."

"Oh?"

The future was open to Jin. He saw a future where this man told them what his Trigger does and how it works. A future where this man thought his words were just bluffs and nothing more. A future where they had all lost and yet won at the same time. A future where they won and lost nothing.

Tachikawa and Miwa looked over at Jin with varying expressions.

"I kinda get what he does. He just takes in different attacks so he can fire it back. Something you wanna tell us, Jin?"

"In general terms you're right, Tachikawa-san. If we go into specifics then it's a bit different from that. It's true that he can take our attacks, but it's more like a snowball effect. He first needs to take on some weaker attacks and then he can take stronger attacks. He can't take large attacks right off the bat."

"But he's already taken most of our attacks. That means we can't exploit that snowball effect anymore. How annoying."

"True. But I saw it. My Side Effect tells me that there are two other weaknesses to this. The first being that if he doesn't take in attacks... No. Not attacks. As long as it is considered a weapon for him then he can take them. Anyway, if he doesn't take what's considered a weapon in by the time three minutes are up then he has to start from zero."

"So his absorption ability is infinite until forced to zero. Interesting. But we can't really just stay here for three minutes and not attack him. Not when other things are going on."

"That's the other thing. Another weakness to this Trigger. He can't take body parts, even if they are from a Trion Body. So direct attacks can land hits without running the risk of getting taken."

Tachikawa and Miwa quickly understood what this meant. The grin on Jin's face now made sense to them.

"!?"

Futoyuki went wide eyed when he saw his arm go flying off to the side.

He jumped to the side and fired off the shots that rivaled Izumi's. Something moved through the smoke while kicking it around a bit.

"I guess you guys really did figure it out. That's great!"

Futoyuki fired more shots towards the figure that moved through the smoke. It seemed to move back while he tried to get closer.

"Well, this really is the fight I need to be at more than the other one."

"Oh~~ A handicap!? A person who's good against me! This is really helpful!"

Minoru turned his attention from the Neighbor in front of him to the multiple soldiers still in the sky.

Even after having all of the Snipers and Shooters attacking them, they were still in the air. The laser-like beams from Takeshi could also be seen, but there were still so many in the air that it worried the All-Rounder.

"Don't worry."

Minoru turned to Jin.

"We have people up there to take care of those ones while we're busy down here. I can't really say this guy is an enemy, at least not one we can hate, but he still needs to be dealt with. Just focus on that. Especially since you're our ace in the hole."

"Hm? If you say so. I'll just trust whoever is up there. After all... I apparently have something to go over at the end of this."

As Minoru turned back to their opponent he missed multiple lights fly through the air high above them. They did not come from the ground but started in the air and ended when clashing with the flying Trion Soldiers.

Three figures moved around above them while others fell to the ground.

* * *

High above the skies of Mikado City...

"Come on! Keep up, you damn airhead! We need to take these things out!"

Yuki swung Idōgetsu around as he used Teleport to get from one Falcon to another. He cut through each one with an expression of a kid having fun playing a game of Tag.

"Keep talking to me like that and I will blast you full of holes!"

Ninomiya fired shot after shot as he fell. He would use each Falcon as a springboard and go higher into to the air before destroying more of them.

"Both of you idiots need to stop."

Mei destroyed multiple Falcons with a single hit. Like Ninomiya, each one she hit was used as a springboard. The only difference was that she destroyed them the moment she used them to gain higher ground. She sent them falling to the ground at such high speeds that it was hard for the Shooters at the ground to keep up with her.

These three agents currently ruled over the entire sky with their relentless and powerful attacks.

* * *

Minoru ran forward while muttering some words under his breath.

He could no longer be seen with the eyes and only be found by Radar. The only ones able to tell his location were those on his side of this fight.

Not wanting Minoru to fight on his own, the other three A-Ranks went on the offensive again.

Jin, already knowing where Minoru was, released three slashes with Fujin. The green lines ran along the ground, forcing Futoyuki to take caution when moving.

Just as predicted, Minoru came from behind with a Scorpion out while Miwa and Tachikawa were on either side on him.

Jin jumped into the air as soon as Futoyuki did and was able to get a cut into the Neighbor's open side. Once on the ground he made two more slashes.

As he landed, Futoyuki swiped his hand on the ground.

Five green lines appeared on the ground and headed for the three that had just tried to attack him while the other two followed the same line as Fujin's.

The speed seemed faster than Fujin's which made it harder to dodge for the three regular Trigger users.

Minoru went back to using Chameleon as the other three went for frontal attacks. He circled around again prepared to use Scorpion to cut the Neighbor's other arm, but decided on a different tactic.

They were prepared to take some damage when seeing Futoyuki move back to fire another round of shots towards them. Even the blade of Trion that was created in his hand was planned for by Jin.

There was a three second delay for them all once the shots were delt with.

That was all that was needed.

Futoyuki felt a pressure on his back that sent him towards the ground.

A blade had ran him through before he reached the ground. It came through his chest while two slashes ran along a green line before coming up to take off his head.

A puff of smoke covered the two.

Tachikawa and Miwa waited with their weapons ready.

Jin only watched with a calm expression.

When the smoke cleared the two could be seen with Minoru standing up and Futoyuki sitting on the ground, letting out a laugh.

"You beat me! You beat me! Nice going there!" Futoyuki gave a big grin while looking up at Minoru. "Kinda short, but it was still a fun fight! Either way, I admit defeat here."

"You really aren't-"

**Trion supply damaged. Bail out.**

**Trion supply damaged. Bail out.**

**Trion supply damaged. Bail out.**

Jin jumped back in time to dodge something that would have taken him out. He looked over to Futoyuki and saw a tall man with short gray hair walking up to him.

"Hm? Pyrínas? That was messed up. That guy standing there still had tons of fight in him. Besides, I've already admitted to my loss. Now I just look like a sore loser."

"I know that. That's why I took him out right away." Pyrínas Original looked around with a raised eyebrow. "Where Hatomi?"

"He's just watching. He's decided not to fight. It really sucks, but I'm not about to force him to do something he doesn't want to do."

"I see..." Bending down, the Trion Soldier took the black wrist watch-like item from Futoyuki's wrist and out it on. "I hope you don't mind. I'll be borrowing this for a bit."

"Actually-"

"Prosforá."

Jin got ready for the next fight. He saw all the possible futures for this next fight and didn't like most of the outcomes.

"Jin-san!"

Looking around, Jin saw agent after agent land in on the flat area around him and the two opponents. They could see Futoyuki stand up with his arms raised and moving out of the way while Pyrínas simply stood there with a bored expression.

"Now!"

"Hold on-!"

Before Jin could stop them, all of the Gunners, Shooters and Snipers let out a bombardment of shots ranging from the explosive Meteor to the powerful Asteroid.

He saw the futures that involved that mistake.

"Thanks for the amo."

In a whirlpool of Trion every attack that he been fired at Pyrínas was taken in by his hand.

"Everyone, that Trigger can take in any attack Trion based and make it it's own. It has a snowball effect when it comes to its absorption."

Just as he said that, two massive Trion cubes appeared above Pyrínas.

The cubes spit into smaller ones.

The cubes spit into smaller ones.

The cubes spit into smaller ones.

"Fire."

* * *

Using his bare hands, Akasora drew back his fist swiftly. Once he had closed the distance, he released several punches, each one in a different method.

The color was pink - it was a punch meant to hit the face.

"Turn to zero."

The color was yellow - a concentrated shield meant for a single hit.

"Turn to zero!"

The color was green - there was a slash that came came from behind.

"Turn to zero."

The color was yellow - the shield used as a platform to go into the air.

"Turn to zero!"

The color was pink - a kick from higher ground to knock someone out of the air.

"Turn to zero."

The color was green - three slashes meant to attack once the target hit the ground.

"Turn to zero!"

The colors were pink and yellow - a single fist striking a protective shield.

"That's already been turned to zero!"

Akasora and Shinoda moved back when their attacks had no effect.

Each time Akasora's body came in contact with Seidō's shields the two would turn to zero and break apart. It created an opening for Shinoda to attack if not for the fact that Seidō was still quick enough to dodge.

This left the three of them at a stalemate that could not be delt with unless countermeasures were taken beforehand.

"Are you sure you should be focusing on me? There are Neighbors attacking the city, isn't there? It seems like they're having fun over there. Shouldn't that be your top priority?"

"Maybe for Masafumi, but not for me. I am going to be selfish and continue fighting you. This is for both personal reasons as well as for Border. Don't try and slink away when we aren't looking. You had that one chance to do it and you took it. It won't happen again."

"And you? What do you plan to do, Masafumi?"

"I'm also going to keep fighting you. I don't hold as big of a grudge against you as Chishi, but I can't just let you go again. Like he said, you had your one chance."

"I see... In that case, let's just continue then. I refuse to discuss anything with you two while you two refuse to let me escape. Nothing else to do but fight."

Seidō raised his hand while Shikifuku continued to rotate around a yellow thread of Trion. He prepared to move as Akasora rushed him once more.

Instead of turning the attack to zero, he moved around each attack, only barely managing to dodge. More came from behind in the form of Senku from Shinoda. It put pressure on him as he tried to focus on his task.

With enough space between them all now, he created what he wanted using the protective power of Shikifuku.

"Turn to zero."

The attack from Akasora had been rendered useless. That meant the next attack would come from Shinoda.

Seidō turned his body so that it was facing Shinoda. He lifted his arm to block the strike from Kōgetsu.

"What!?"

"You need to always think of new things when fighting people on equal footing as you. Even more so when outnumbered."

Seidō continued to push back against Kōgetsu and Shinoda using a yellow blade of his own.

That was incorrect.

What Seidō held in his hand was not a blade but a shield in the shape of a blade. The edges were made to be as sharp as a blade while the end was slender enough to hold with a single hand. This created the image of a sword that was colored yellow.

This was the potential of knowledge.

When compared to the infinite feelings of emotions or the limitless heights of willpower, a person's knowledge was finite in what they could do. Some things could not be understood and memories could be forgotten. That meant the protective shield of Shikifuku was not as strong as the sharpened blade or the raging amplification it provided.

Hardened knowledge isn't the only way for this to work. I've learned that by now.

Seidō gave a push toward Shinoda.

"Turn to zero!"

He created a shield to block the strike from Akasora while moving forward with his defensive sword.

Creativity and imagination can also be classified as "knowledge" at times. In a way... Even a person's "knowledge" can be limitless. We can learn endlessly, even if we will forget it.

This chance in pace created a new dynamic between the three fighters.

Seidō was now able to block attacks from Shinoda while also making his own. At the same time he was able to turn all of Akasora's attacks to zero so that he would not be damaged.

Now he had a better chance.

Seidō ran. In a straight line. Without making a feint. As if he had decided on his target merely by who he had spotted first, he headed straight for Shinoda. The other two specialized in close combat right now, so he seemed to be full of openings, but the problem lay with his yellow shield and sword.

Shinoda pulled out his Kōgetsu from his hip, but...

"You won't make it in time!"

Akasora's leg cut in from the side.

He kicked at Shinoda rather than Seidō. The yellow weapon cut through empty air. As Akasora circled around Seidō, he shouted a warning to Shinoda who had gotten back up.

"Just stay back for a bit and let me scout things out! Find the right time to strike so we can finally end this!"

"Yelling out your plans is a terrible thing to do. Maybe the age really has gotten to you after all this time. Whatever. Things still remain the same and I only need to keep an eye on Masafumi while fighting you."

If you were hit even once, you would eventually lose your body at this point.

_Even a single counterattack while trying to throw him or grab him would be the end of it. I guess my only option is to fight focusing on building up damage!_

"A passive strategy, hm?" Seidō had seen straight through him. Keeping your distance would be the best way of avoiding my shields, but it would be difficult to get within range and then take me out in a single blow, wouldn't it? The standard is to try to counter and build the damage little by little. Well, if you have some stronger technique like a high kick or something, that would be different, but...I don't need to say more, do I?"

In a battle without rules, a high kick aimed for the head came with the risk of having your leg grabbed and being dragged down. Even if that did not happen, once you were supporting yourself on a single leg, your quick footwork giving you a longer reach would be unusable.

In other words, it simply added the risk of a counterattack.

In the end, continually using your one safe card is nothing more than slowly trapping yourself.

Seidō pointed his protective sword toward Akasora's head.

The man raised his eyes and said, "This is not an issue of who is stronger anymore. From your thought patterns alone, you cannot reach passed Shikifuku."

Immediately afterwards, the situation greatly changed.

Seidō and Akasora both charged forward at once.

"Ah...?" as Seidō charged in, he let out that slight voice of confusion.

Akasora dove toward the ground like he was diving into a pool and "stepped" onto the ground with his hands.

 _This is just a shogi problem_. Akasora's body twisted around and rotated while he was upside down. _You are not necessarily safe just by distancing yourself from the enemy pieces. The trick is to move to a position where the enemy pieces cannot move no matter how close it puts you!_

The yellow sword that Seidō's immediately swung passed by Akasora's legs by only a few millimeters and his heel shot up toward Seidō's jaw. It got turned to zero. He swung the yellow sword again, but Akasora's legs were no longer there. The weapons merely flew through empty air.

"!"

"What do you think you're following there!?"

With his hands still "standing" on the ground, Akasora had folded up his legs as far as they would go. It looked like he was storing up all his strength like a spring, so Seidō's swung his upper body as far to the side as it would go.

_Another shot is coming for my jaw!_

"Is that what you thought? It looks like my pride is going to swell by quite a bit here!"

Akasora spun his body while still upside down. His legs wrapped around Seidō's right leg.

That had been outside what Seidō had expected.

With the threat of the yellow sword and shield, Akasora should not have been able to make that attack.

He had gone for something other than a blow.

He had used a locking technique.

Without knocking his opponent to the ground, Akasora started to destroy Seidō's right leg by amiplfying his strength while the man still stood.

A strange feeling passed through Seidō and his head.

But before the leg was completely destroyed, Seidō swung down the yellow sword. Akasora did not stick around and instead let go with his legs and rolled backwards. Seidō tried to follow after him, but his right leg would not move properly. He lost his balance a bit even when trying to turn the hold to zero. In the end, the fact his leg had gotten trapped meant that even with Akasora's power turning to zero he still applied the pressure needed.

"I didn't get to completely destroy it," said Akasora as he stood up by swinging his legs around like a break dancer and scratching the back of his head. "But it looks like I still managed some damage."

"How could an uncategorized person with two arms and two legs do that...!? I even turned that power to zero!"

"Is four areas to strike from not enough for a decisive blow?" said Akasora as he folded his spread arms.

It looked like he was defending his upper body, but it was actually a stance used for attacks with emphasis on the elbows.

"Then I will bring that up to eight with my two elbows and two knees."

"...!"

"Have you calculated out just how much this expands my possible strategies?"

Akasora forcefully kicked off the ground and charged straight for him. Eight striking points irregularly assaulted Seidō in a way that would be impossible for a normal martial artist.

Seidō was not all that used to hand to hand combat.

However...

"I can still trap you!"

Akasora was forced to stop his advance when four yellow walls appeared around him. They quickly enclosed on him, forcing his entire body turn to zero due to the counter balance of Shikifuku.

Seeing Shinoda finally take action, Seidō turned around while bringing up a shield to defend himself.

The yellow shield had been able to block the strike. The moment it touched Kōgetsu it started to twist and turn until it expanded out and go right for Shinoda.

"Crap!"

"...Turn to zero..."

In only a few seconds, multiple things happened.

The yellow color that surrounded Shinoda and Seidō seemed to fall off completely. At the same time, Seidō was forced back while Shinoda was grabbed by his clothes and tossed over to Akasora.

"...I am...sorry...Shinoda-san... ...I am also...sorry...for being...late...Boss..."

"It's fine. And haven't I already said that you can just call me Uncle instead."

Akasora stood up to stand next to his friend.

He looked forward with a smile.

"...Tenryū Shokubutsu...ready for battle...!"


	8. Human - Regalia_of_Blood_and_Flesh

He had never hoped and he had never waited.

There was never a reason for Tenryū Shokubutsu to wait for his father's return or hope that something would come up. If that man did not return then it was simply his choice not to do so. There was never a place for him to voice his own thoughts.

When he had been taken into the custody of his uncle, Tenryū Shokubutsu never said anything against it. If his uncle had decided to take him in then it was simply his choice to do so. There was never a place for him to voice his own thoughts.

Nothing good ever happened to him. Nothing bad ever happened to him. The world continued to turn, yet he never had anything to say on any topics involving it. His entire existence was one of simply being there, being a living person. Nothing had to happen and nothing had to be done about it. If he were to fade away then there would have been no issues.

Tenryū Shokubutsu never had a reason to voice his thoughts but did not want to lose his voice. There would be times when he would need to give answer - even simple ones. That may have been why he had decided to at least speak to himself at times, to make sure his voice would always be well enough to work. Times when he would use it freely hardly came up.

Those times they did come up were not too bad. Those times always involved his uncle or his uncle's friends. They all seemed fine upon hearing his voice. They were always considerate to him when he did not say a sentence right away. Yet they were still older and had other things to do.

That may have been why he was actually rather pleased once he found others who would listen to him speak. They would wait for him to finish speaking, never seeming to rush him and his words. When that number grew it was made all that much better.

At some point he had gained actual friends as well as a mentor. There weren't many of them, but he was happy with those few people. Just the thought of them was enough to put a smile on his face.

The amount of people was small - especially for one his age - but that was enough reason for him to be there. To stand before this enemy while also in front of his uncle; it was the least he could do at this point. Another fight may have been going on, but this was the best place for him to be. A place where the Black Trigger known as Shikifuku could become whole once more.

.

"..."

"If you want to ask something then go ahead and ask. That guy seems to understand what's going on right now. He won't be coming at us or try to make any escape until we make a move. So, what do you want to ask, Shokubutsu?"

Akasora looked down at his nephew while a single piece of Shikifuku spun around his wrist as if it was orbiting it.

"...Who is...that man...? ...He was...giving you two...so much...trouble... ...Sorry... ...I should not...have said...that..."

"No, no, you're fine. That's a completely valid question and a completely valid reason to ask it. I can't say I would have the same question if I was in an outside perspective." He looked back towards the man who was waiting for their actions. "And that man is-"

"Just some irritating man. There is no need to pay attention to him."

"That man is your Father."

Shinoda was quick to glare at Akasora. Everything he felt about those words were said through that glare.

For his part, Akasora looked as calm as ever.

"...I see... ...Okay... ...That explains...why he uses...Shikifuku...like that..."

"Yup."

Shinoda grabbed Akasora by the neck before pulling him down a bit so that their voices would not be able to reach Shobu, who was a few feet away.

The situation as it stood was bad enough with multiple battles going on at the moment, yet Shinoda found the time to scold his long time friend while their opponent waited. He tightened his grip of the other's neck with his glare only growing more intense.

"What the hell, Chishi!? Why would you tell him that it's his dad? You of all people know what that can do to the kid!"

"That's just it. I _do_ know what that can do. That's also why I said 'Father' instead of 'Dad'."

"How does that-"

"Listen, Masafumi... You can yell at me all you want later. For now we have to take this guy out. Besides that, we still need to deal with the other issue that's currently going on around the city. Now isn't the time to be doing this."

"..."

"Hey-"

"Fine! But I will be making sure you get a rough beating later on for this."

Akasora gave a nod while smiling the whole time.

The two adults moved back towards Shobu.

"...Ah... ...Bo... ...Uncle... ...If I may..."

"Yeah? What is it? Can you fight?"

"...Yes... ...But I...wanted to...know if I could...have...the second part...of Shikifuku... ...That way...I can...fight my father...while you and...Shinoda-san...handle with...the other issue..."

"Hm? Shokubutsu, you know I have faith in your skills but... It takes both me and Masafumi to handle this guy. Even when we used Shikifuku against him, it just turned to zero since he has the third piece of it."

"...Yes... ...I know... ...But... ...I know...I can...win... ...If I...have Shikifuku...with me... ...I will...just use...both of...them at the same...time... ...That way...only one...will be...turned to zero..."

"EH!?"

"OH!?"

"...Ah...?"

Akasora and Shinoda gave either other quick looks towards each other.

Shobu looked at the two adults as if he said something he should not have. Confusion was on his face while the two adults looked at him with their own confusion.

"Hey, hey, Shokubutsu, you do know that you can't use two pieces of Shikifuku at once right? You have to always switch from one to the other. It is not made to use multiple pieces simultaneously."

"...That is...-"

"Incorrect?"

Shobu nodded his head.

"How!? A-ah! Sorry. I didn't mean to raise my voice. I'm just surprised saying that. Can you explain why we're wrong?"

Shobu nodded his head.

He looked up at the two adults with an amount of certainty that made both Akasora and Shinoda unsure.

"...Because I...have two...arms..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUH!?"

"Chishi, lower your voice! He's getting sad while that idiot over there is looking at us like we're crazy! He's been waiting patiently for us this whole time because we have the upper hand, but he might just attack because he thinks we have lost our minds!"

"Right, right. Sorry, sorry. Yes. I'm sorry. Ah! Please don't look down, Shokubutsu!"

Coughing into his hand, Akasora looked down at Shobu with a look of fondness.

He brought his hand up to take off the piece of Shikifuku he had been using. It had no effect while he was using it due to the fact that their opponent had the exact same Black Trigger in his possession. It had created a stalemate that they would not get out of.

The difference between him using it to create a stalemate and his nephew using it was that he would be stuck in place while Shobu would be getting results. It had not been shown to him yet but the fact of the matter was that it was best to try something new than to letting things continue on with nowhere else to go.

"Fine. You can use both pieces. But! You won't be fighting him by yourself. Masafumi and I will still be fighting here."

"He won't be fighting at all."

Tenryū Seidō lowered his head while raising his hand towards the single piece of Shikifuku around his wrist.

Akasora and Shinoda readied themselves once more.

"I'll be giving up on this fight now."

Shobu lowered his own arms.

"Against Chishi and Masafumi, I could manage. I know how they fight and what they can do. Against you, Shokubutsu, I would be unsure as to what would happen. You are an unknown factor that I can't bother to think about right now."

Akasora was quick to give a glare towards the man who had just insulted his own child.

"There is no point in continuing a fight where Shikifuku is forced to destroy itself over and over again without a solid outcome being guaranteed. Although that would be a fitting example of how we humans just love to start wars with each other."

Seidō took the single piece of Shikifuku from his wrist and tossed it over to the three standing a few meters away from him. His own Trigger was thrown over right after.

Shobu grabbed the third piece of Shikifuku and attached it to the two other pieces he held in his hand. A sense of relief washed over him as the Black Trigger became whole once more.

"Shokubutsu, go find people who can use those pieces and let them use it for a bit. Actually, give the mirror to the girl I was with earlier. Afterwards, take her to the base. She will be more useful that way."

"Hey, don't go giving orders to-"

"Do you want to end all this trivial fighting or not? As a last ditch effort, I'm sure that the current invaders will target the base with something big. That girl has enough 'Knowledge' to deflect a large attack. What's more, this will help her out in the eyes of others as someone who had helped Border. Do not forget your promise to me, Chishi."

"..."

Akasora clicked his tongue before turning to his nephew.

It had all made sense, but that was exactly why he hated the idea so much.

"He's right. As much as I loath saying that. Shokubutsu, give 'Emotion' to my idiotic student and give 'Willpower' to Kei. After that... Find that girl and give her 'Knowledge'. Take her to the top of the base when you have done that. We will deal with your idiot father."

"...Okay..."

A pink light started to come off of Shobu's feet as the Black Trigger known as Shikifuku started rotating around his wrist like the rings of Saturn.

With a burst of speed that could not be copied by any regular Trigger, he ran in the direction of the fighting that was currently going on.

.

Tenryū Seidō let out a sigh as he looked around at the destruction they had all caused.

"Now th-...!? What the hell!?"

"You didn't think I'd let you off the hook just like that, did you!? Be happy that if I did any more than punch you, I would also be going to jail for my violence."

"I am also holding myself back over here. If I wasn't in my current position then you would soon be dumped into the river with only a straw to help you breath."

"When did you two get so violent? I knew you were crazy, but I did not know you became psychopaths as well. Maybe you should be the ones who get locked up instead. I will run the risk of getting tossed in if it means keeping others away from you."

"Shut the hell up. We have a right to be pissed at you for everything you've done. We finally see you after you left and you go out of your way to screw us over by fighting against us. If you didn't do that then we could have somehow turned this situation into something that wouldn't get the press in our asses."

"This should be no problem for you guys. If it is then that is because you lot are just that inexperienced. That should be obvious for the General Director of Border and the Yagura Branch's director."

"How did you-"

"It isn't that hard to get information, you know. I just had to ask some people around here and they gladly answered. It is even more convincing when I show them a Trigger."

Seidō smiled to himself when he remembered the kind flower shop woman who had informed him about the current general state of Border.

_Apparently she is a mother. I would not have guessed based on her appearance._

He faced his two former friends once one. This time the words that came out of his mouth were not ones of friendly banter, instead choosing a new set of vocals that made him sound serious.

"Now then... Can the two of you tell me why you had such faith in my child?"

"Well then... Can you tell us why have such little faith in your own child?"

"Because I know how that child is. He is not the type to actually do things for himself. That kind if thinking means he cannot put his all into what he does because there is no in it for him. His personality also keeps him distant from others to the point that he truly can't do anything since he has no one to do anything for."

"You are right about him not wanting to do things for himself. He is too kind for fighting and for going against anyone. That being said, you are wrong about his personality. It's because of his personality that he has people he can call friends now. My students consider him a friend and there are two others in my branch that are his friends as well."

"But they aren't here right now. He wouldn't have really been able to fight him."

"Actually, it's because we were the only ones here that he would have fought you. He probably wanted to smack you around for leaving when you did and for how you have been using Shikifuku this whole time. How you have been using the legacy his mother left behind." Akasora shook his head with a sigh. "In all honesty, I sent him off so that he would not be tempted to go against himself and hit you for this whole mess."

"You mentioning that girl did not help anything either. You really are an asshole."

Seidō furrowed his brows while looking between the two disappointed men.

_Was I really that wrong?_

* * *

While Rhinoceros Beetle 07 observed the intense battle between the Wanderers and Border from a short distance away, it confirmed Pyrínas' location in the middle of the fight with the naked eye.

Misaki Mitsubachi banged on its pure white surface from where she stood next to it.

At this point, even that was enough to have a clear effect on the cracks inside Rhinoceros Beetle 07.

"Hey, hey, hey! We seriously found him! We have to save him!"

"That would increase the risk of getting wrapped up in the combat activities currently occurring in the area... Even if the others have no intention of attacking us, we cannot escape the high probability of being struck by a stray attack... In addition, it appears some of those involved wish to prevent anyone from approaching Pyrínas... There is a danger of those people directly attempting to interfere if we approach him..."

And...

Rhinoceros Beetle 07's analysis indicated it no longer had the durability to withstand a battle of that class thanks to the cracks continuing to form within it.

Of course, if it informed the children of that, there was a danger of the breadth of their actions shrinking even further. With an already risky situation, the beetle wished to avoid lessening their freedom of choice.

"Then what do we do?"

"I will analyze their attack patterns and calculate out how wide an opening we have... ...Human vision shrinks further than people realize when they are focused on something... At first glance, this area looks like a wide open space, but it is actually like a labyrinth with fluidly changing routes, so if we move based on set rules, we can safely-..."

Rhinoceros Beetle 07 trailed off.

The artificial voice created by its giant thin wings suddenly stopped.

Michelle, Stepney and Mitsubachi had suddenly disappeared.

No, that was not accurate.

Someone had entered "within" Rhinoceros Beetle 07.

In a mysterious space void of color and sound where not a single leaf on the surrounding roadside trees moved, Rhinoceros Beetle 07 focused its attention forwards.

At a spot a mere 5 meters from its cannon barrel stood a large man with white hair who seemed like he could wear any sort of clothing and be natural in it.

His eyes contained a dark light that was only found in those who had continuously walked down the hidden back roads of life. The thin smile on his lips seemed to contain all forms of confidence. Despite Rhinoceros Beetle 07's cannon being at such extreme close range, he did not remove his hands from his jacket pockets.

In that world where all color had faded to black or white, that man alone contained color.

It was as if he was illuminated as that world's sole king.

"...Pyrínas..."

Rhinoceros Beetle 07 was unable to tell whether it was actually using its wings to produce its artificial voice or not, but it muttered that name all the same.

And even as it made that deduction, it denied that possibility.

No.

That could not be true.

The real Pyrínas would not expend any of his power for a mere pawn like Rhinoceros Beetle 07. If he wanted to, he could create hundreds or thousands of powerful pawns in an instant.

And yet...

The colorful monster slowly moved his mouth.

"So am I something like your aspiration?"

"..."

"C'mon, don't just sit there. I'm the aspiration you created for yourself. I'm the wall you automatically set up to define _what you think Pyrínas is."_

It did indeed seem this was not the real Trion Soldier.

This was similar to someone having a mental breakdown due to the massive stress of constantly hiding behind cover in fear of a sniper hiding in some unknown location of the darkness.

"You would know best why something like me has appeared. With a set amount of time having passed since you parted ways with Pyrínas, you are turning into something else. But you yourself refuse to admit it. You are afraid of losing your powerful personality as a portion of Pyrínas. You hesitate to lose it and you are frozen up with regrets. ...That is why I am here. _I am here to remind you what you are about to lose. I am here to supplement your data image of what your original form was."_

The cracks were even now continuing to run through Rhinoceros Beetle 07 and it could completely collapse at any moment.

Its actions taken to slow the progress of the damage and to compensate for lost internal data may have been similar to those of a human holding a wound to slow blood loss. It did not matter if those actions would actually save it or not. Whether one had received a fatal wound or one's entire body had been skewered, one could not help but carry out those actions.

But...

If its wavering essence was compensated for by renewing its data image here...

"It seems you have put off killing some brat with your pathetic misconversions, but that ends here," spat out that someone.

His tone made the beetle loathe being a part of him, but no tone of voice could have sounded more like Pyrínas.

"Who are you?"

That question reached Rhinoceros Beetle 07.

It reached it.

"What should you do to act like yourself?"

In the end, the real Pyrínas had not seen the need to do a single thing despite the fact that Rhinoceros Beetle 07 had suppressed the clear relationship of master and slave. He had done nothing and left Rhinoceros Beetle 07 unable to explain the logical inconsistency of its own actions. When that happened, Rhinoceros Beetle 07 would need to take a second look at its own essence in the role of slave rather than master. In that process, it would need to rewrite itself using Pyrínas as the starting point.

It could be said to be similar to a computer infected with a virus that would activate when the computer rebooted.

Once that was done, one need only wait until the inevitable freeze. The passage of time and buildup of work would ultimately lead Rhinoceros Beetle 07 into a catastrophic situation.

"You must have understood this from the beginning," announced that someone with a mocking tone. He announced the decisive factor. "Your greatest enemy was not Pyrínas or the enemy beetles sent by him. It was yourself after you gained the trust of the targets and remained physically nearby. ...You must have had the opportunity to explain this to the targets, but you told them there were only two threats, didn't you? Why? It wasn't because you could deny this possibility. It was because you would be forced to think about it if you put it in words."

Rhinoceros Beetle 07 searched for the words to deny it.

Rhinoceros Beetle 07 searched for the words to deny it.

Rhinoceros Beetle 07 searched for the words to deny it.

But Rhinoceros Beetle 07 was unable to speak a single word in response. Of course it could not. This was not a game where multiple players revealed their hidden cards on the table one at a time. All of the cards were known and the beetle was going over the answers all on its own.

And so it could not stop the words of that someone.

The words merely continued.

"It is easy enough to claim to be someone other than Pyrínas. But who are you really? Can you truly define yourself with some other name? The titles you have acquired in this short time are 'someone opposing Pyrínas' orders', 'someone working to become independent of Pyrínas', 'someone who wants to become something other than Pyrínas', and 'someone who originated from Pyrínas'. No matter how hard you try to get around it, you cannot escape the name Pyrínas. If you force yourself to deny your very core, you will lose your essence and be unable to even define what your physical body is."

He did it so easily.

He did it so definitively.

He crushed the budding hope that Rhinoceros Beetle 07 had obtained.

"That is why your true essence is that of a slave. No matter how much you struggle, you cannot reboot yourself as a new type of master."

If Rhinoceros Beetle 07 did not become something other than Pyrínas, it could not refuse the order to kill Michelle, Stepney and Mitsubachi.

But no matter what it did, it could not completely reject Pyrínas.

Ergo...

Rhinoceros Beetle 07 could not protect those three children.

"It is simple logic," whispered that someone. "As long as you are a part of Pyrínas, you cannot hesitate to kill your proper target. If you are hesitating, that reluctance to kill must be coming from some portion that is not Pyrínas. There is something you have gained in this short time... something that the targets trust. When you decide to kill using that excess portion of yourself, you determine that you are 'betraying' the targets."

He was about to speak a decisive statement.

He had made the running start to get there.

"So release yourself from those conditions."

That someone spoke those words that were like a password to release the safety device on some giant weapon.

"Let this kind Pyrínas forcibly give you your orders. Kill the targets while selfishly resenting me."

The conclusion was clear.

Rhinoceros Beetle 07 could not become something other than Pyrínas.

No matter what.

* * *

Countless shots were fired from the single body that stood in the middle of the battlefield. They accurately targeted Jin and the other Border agents. They would be difficult to evade. And even if they succeeded, they had nowhere left to go. Pyrínas' ultimate absorption ability gave him as much time, resources, and strength as he wanted. He was the worst possible enemy for the Border agents who had limited amounts of Trion.

They would eventually reach their limit, they would eventually find themselves cornered, and they would eventually lose.

Pyrínas did not have to worry about when or where that eventuality occurred. He only needed to wait for its arrival no matter how long it took. He did not have to worry about his own consumption. If he merely waited for victory to come his way, his wish would be granted. It was the ultimate wastefulness, the ultimate laziness, and the ultimate desecration. The Trion Soldier had gained the ability to extend the idea of 'sitting and waiting' to a level where it threatened to bring humanity to extinction.

Those malice-filled shots and their power filled with murderous intent were produced infinitely and rushed towards their targets. Simply by repeating those countless attacks, he could safely and surely pierce his opponents if he waited long enough.

"What was the point of it all? Now that it comes to the end, I just have to wonder. Miden, Aftokrator, Galpoula, Ypirétis, 'All the World's Cancer,' Wanderers... How ridiculous. So this is what it is like to leave the realm of what can be counted with numbers. I guess that was the extent of society."

Jin and Border could do nothing.

It did not matter how much talent they had or how much effort they put into extending their ability.

"I guess winning is not always a good thing. It can be disappointing. Finding out how low the wall was can be truly disappointing. I suppose I learned one thing from defeating you worms."

By repeating that simple task over and over again, he would knock down and wash away the human culture that had been built up so carefully.

Or so it should have been.

The giant system that was Pyrínas and the Pyrínas System suddenly stopped.

"?"

A look of confusion appeared on Pyrínas' own face.

The power of the multiple shots stopped just before reaching Jin and the Border agents.

One of Konami eyebrows moved and she said, "Hey, what's going on? Does this mean it's okay for me to smash you to pieces? Of course, whether your answer is yes or no, I'll be turning you to nothing."

"What?" quietly muttered the Wanderers' ultimate weapon as if the word had just slipped out.

No.

His lips could no longer make any movement greater than a slight tremble.

"The transmission rate is...? But...the material data system signal...hasn't changed. It can't have changed..."

"..."

Jin alone remained silent.

The elite had been continuing using his foresight to lead the future in a direction that would be beneficial for them all.

That was the only conceivable possibility.

"It can't have... It can't have changed...and yet... What did you do? Even if you interfered with the Trion's internal lines...even if you reversed the signals, you shouldn't have been able to make it past that individual block. And yet... What...what did you-...!?"

"Oh, I get it." Finally, Jim spoke as if he understood it all. "I guess it was a part those infinite possibilities that always comes up. I see, I see... Heh heh, that makes sense. I find it hard to believe a fragment like that would appear within you, but the odds really were infinite. Something like that must've gotten mixed into that network of yours."

"What are you... What are you talking about!?"

 _"It wasn't me,"_ replied Jin.

His response was the simplest response there was.

 _"_ I'd say it was you that stopped you _."_

Clicking his tongue, Pyrínas muttered something under his breath as he looked at Jin.

Just then everyone who was there felt a rumbling feeling. A large shadow went over them all, making them look up.

A giant falcon-like soldier hung in the air. It looked rather plain, expect for the giant canon attached to it. It started building up energy and seemed like it was aiming right at the Border Base and all of the agents there.

This particular soldier was known as Revolution. It was made to rival an Ilgar. It had three times the destructive power when using its canon and was twice as sturdy as it. The ultimate weapon that could be used by the ones who decided to do their test on this day.

* * *

At that moment...

"Hey. What's seriously the matter?"

The white Rhinoceros Beetle 07, Michelle, Mitsubachi, and Steoney waited near the large battlefield while watching for a chance to approach the intense battle there.

But...

Rhinoceros Beetle 07 was unable to respond to Mitsubachi's question.

Its consciousness was focused on the image of Pyrínas that only it could see.

"...I see..."

"That's right," responded the image.

"So...that's it..."

"So what will you do?"

Its thick horn-like main cannon slowly moved. Its aim wavered. As the master, Pyrínas was giving a command to Rhinoceros Beetle 07 who was the slave. He was commanding it to quickly kill the three children who stood nearby.

The only way to escape the basic order to kill was to acquire a personality beyond Pyrínas.

But Rhinoceros Beetle 07 was nothing but a slave, so it would break apart the instant it lost the supporting pillar of Pyrínas.

Therefore, Rhinoceros Beetle 07 could not reject the order to kill.

The formula was perfectly sound.

However...

"...I never had to become anything other than Pyrínas," said the beetle.

"What...?"

"...There was never any need to forcibly think about acquiring a new personality."

"Wait a second. That response was not in the preset version of Pyrínas!"

The sound of cracks running across the beetle's body rang out.

The red light in its eyes flickered unstably like a malfunctioning light.

"...I..."

The cracks had finally become visible on the outside of its body.

It was as if those cracks were in payment for resisting something.

But it did not stop.

Rhinoceros Beetle 07 did not stop speaking.

"...I am!"

Suddenly, the red light in Rhinoceros Beetle 07's eyes completely disappeared.

It had ceased to function.

Or so it appeared.

But that was not the case.

"...My name is..."

The light came back on immediately afterwards. But it had changed from red to green. The previous coloration that had indicated an error became a vivid green as if to announce it was now running properly.

"...My name is Pyrínas, a separate entity from the Wanderers' ultimate Trion Soldier, yet still the same being, and someone disconnected from the Pyrínas System."

Some might have described it as a flower blooming.

The cracks continued to appear from within the white Rhinoceros Beetle 07. Without hesitation and without indecision, the beetle completely shattered. And what appeared from within those glittering fragmentary particles was...

A single white man with a green light in his eyes.

* * *

A small cracking noise could be heard.

It had come from Pyrínas' rugged face on that large battlefield he had complete control over. More accurately, it came from the small crack that had appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"Don't...mock me..."

He groaned.

He muttered.

That was all he could manage any longer as authority over the giant system that was the Pyrínas System began to transfer elsewhere, but "the thing he had been" shook off that restriction and shouted with all of his strength.

For better or for worse, the strength of his will may have been one of the reasons the Ultimate Trion Soldier had been able to climb so high.

His rugged mouth split apart and his entire face opened and closed like a cheap toy.

"Don't mock meeeeeeee! Th-this is... This is all mine. I am me! P-Pyrínas System is produced from my mind...from my Trion and core. How could that...how could the power I brought about myself betray me like this!?"

"It no longer matters who was first," said Hatomi as if he was not in the middle of the battlefield. "What the Trion connects to is no longer an issue. You obtained the infinite, so you broke past the need for that kind of thing, right?"

"...!"

The throat belonging to that which had been Pyrínas convulsed.

There was a sound of something hitting the ground.

Jin saw that it had been Takato Mei and Ninomiya Masataka and tension left his shoulders.

Mei started to speak up, having heard it all.

"Being too powerful is its own problem, Trion Soldier-san. When a network made up of flexibly replaceable equipment has a portion become isolated from the rest, the isolated portion becomes a small network of its own. And you have the ability to replace lost body parts like a planarian. In other words..."

"The one who stopped him is also Pyrínas. ...Or may be it would be better to say the one who stopped him is now _the_ Pyrínas," said Hatomi.

It was only during that last statement that Hatomi did not smile.

He showed his respect for someone he had never seen who was not there at the moment.

"There had to have been a lot of different things that made up the whole of Pyrínas. And a lot of those things would normally be invisible due to the great concentration of the whole _._ But when the network became isolated, things not normally seen rose to the surface. Like the gum syrup built up at the bottom of an iced coffee being scooped out."

"There would have been the cowardly side of you, the short tempered side of you, the vain side of you...and the kind side of you. But who would have thought it would be this form of our greatest weapon that would wrest control away from the rest?"

The desire to protect someone had won out over the desire to kill someone.

The desire to create something had won out over the desire to destroy something.

The desire to stop a fight had won out over the desire to continue a fight.

"I take back what I had initially thought," said Hatomi without hesitation. That was something he did not often say. "The Trion Soldier that our former and current leader made is one hell of a weapon. It was wasted on the likes of you. And it was clearly too much for you to control."

"Ah...ah..."

" _Come to think of it_ ," added Sanshū with a puzzled voice over to the Wanderers and the broken Trion Soldier. " _Do we have any proof that this one was actually the core? His mind was scattered over the system, and this one was the closest to the surface. But nothing says what showed itself on the surface was Pyrínas' true nature. Weren't you just battling the very outer layer of his mind this whole time? Then again, even just that was no easy task, so I guess Pyrínas really is no normal Trion Soldier. ...Oh, and make no mistake. I wasn't complimenting_ you _when I said that. I was talking about the real one_."

"Aaaaahhhhh! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

Each time the thing that had been Pyrínas forced his body to move, more and more small cracks formed. He was trying to defeat Jin and Border by any means necessary. So that he could stop them from speaking. So that he could avert his gaze from that uncomfortable information.

But he could not manage it.

That final bit of power must have finally been taken from him. It may have been a mistake that he had held that power at all, even if temporarily.

A high-pitched noise rang out.

A certain line had been crossed.

A portion of the shots broke and the destruction continued in a chain reaction. Everything that made up the thing that had been Pyrínas noisily crumbled. Just like a child grew into an adult and just like an adult grew into a parent, that giant system grew into something more refined by eliminating the immature portions that remained even in the core of the personality.

"I...I'm bre...I'm breaking? I...I am...the Wanderers' Ultimate...no, I went beyond that... Why is this happing...for such a ridiculous reason?"

"There will probably be nothing left to prove you were ever here," whispered Hatomi. That someone who was continuing to collapse clearly twitched when he heard that. "Even if a massive amount of data and a body are left concerning Pyrínas, that data and body will not be referring to you."

Those were his words.

Those were the words the living could pass onto the dead who would disappear from this world.

"But don't worry."

"Wait...no...stop..."

There was nothing he could do in that final moment.

But the thing that had been Pyrínas had a sudden thought.

He recalled the moment in that subway tunnel when that white Rhinoceros Beetle 07 had suddenly left his control and taken an irregular action.

He did not think that beetle had been given anything special. He had not set it up that way. The issue was who had been in that same location at that time.

A certain girl with pink hair and a small body.

Sthénos.

She was a Trion Soldier with the ability to detect when a Neighbor was near, and she also held the hidden possibility of using Trion Soldiers' cores to distort their orders.

Hadn't Pyrínas once made the following estimation of that girl?

But there was an issue with that.

Sthénos would need the Trion Soldier to have a core to distort. The beetles had no such thing.

They all shared a core known as the Pyrínas System.

In that case...

Whether consciously or subconsciously, the one who had incited the change in the single piece of that system's white Rhinoceros Beetle 07 had been...

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! H-her! That biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiittttttttttttttccccccccccchhhhhhhhhhhhhh! No! No! Noooooooooooooooooo! Revolution! Destroy this whole damn plaaaaaaaaaaaaaace! Destroy this whole city for all I care!"

The second-in-command ignored that someone who suddenly cried out.

He said, "If you wish to leave some evidence behind, I will make a mark for you."

The entire battlefield shook so roughly it seemed like the very foundation would break.

Multiple totem pole-like rods shot out of the ground, slamming into the breaking Trion Soldier with enough force to break through him. His totem pole-like rods pierced through the center of that something that was just barely maintaining its form and it finally completely shattered.

Hatomi brought his hand to his own neck.

While supporting his weight with what looked to be another totem pole-like rod, the second-in-command looked around the area. With no one left to command it, the attacks and weapons began dissolving into the air, leaving nothing behind.

"...So it's over."

"What's over?" said Jin with a shrug.

He spoke as if all that intense fighting had been nothing but a quick glimpse of scenery on the way to their destination.

"We still have to deal with you."

* * *

With the final command from the broken Trion Soldier, the falcon-like soldier fired its powerful shot that seemed like it would take everything out.

The moment it had fired, multiple things happened.

In three different places of Mikado City, colors glittered brightly for people to see.

* * *

Atop the headquarters of Border the color yellow glowed brightly as a thread that seemed more like rope.

"H-how do I use this!?"

"...Just focus...on making...a shield... ...Sticking out...your arm...helps..."

Doing as she had been told, "Tenryū Aonegai" lifted her arms while concentrating on making a large shield that would deflect anything that came in contact with it.

The large attack that came from the Trion Soldier known as Revolution clashed with the yellow shield that covered the entirety of the front of Border. The difference in power started to become appears to when the yellow shield that was raised towards the sky seemed to be sustaining no damage at all.

After a few more seconds the results came.

The large attack had disappeared from the sky.

The yellow shield had won.

* * *

Within the skies of Mikado City a pink light shone in the form of two dots.

"I guess I get to have the most fun since I am so high up."

Tsukiko Yuki smiled as he looked down at his target.

The difference in air between his current location and that of the ground did not seem to bother him as he continued to fall at an increasing rate.

"Kei-san better be ready down there."

The color pink started to envelope his entire body as his target continued to get closer. It continued to due so until it seemed more like a burning flame than that of a glowing star.

Once he made it to his target the time seemed to stop for a single moment as he used all his weight to crash into Revolution. When time continued to move on he was alone in the air. The target that he had hit had disappeared from the sky and was no crashing into the ground with enough force that it could have been compared to a meteor.

"Maybe I went a bit overboard."

* * *

On the ground near a large battlefield blue could be seen in the form of a long blade.

"I have never been able to use a Black Trigger like this. I should thank Akasora-san later on."

With a grin on his face, Tachikawa Kei watched as something akin to a meteor fell from the sky at a speed that would have been hard to catch.

Since it would be almost impossible to catch, there had been only one other thing for him to do with the situation.

A large blade made of blue light continued to shrink to the point of it being the skies of the standard Kōgetsu, yet he held the blade as if it weighed nothing at all. The size seemed to fit well with the yellow shield that flew into the sky and the pink power that fell from that same sky. It was a true show of willpower to face such a terrifying attack from the Trion Soldier that was falling like a meteor.

Using his full body to swing the blade around, Tachikawa made his single attack.

He continued to spin while increasing the speed of his swing. His eyes were trained on the falling object in the sky while his attack continued to generate power.

Once it had been close enough, Tachikawa made a great leap into the air without thinking about what would happen if he took a direct hit from the the falling object that seemed to be indistinguishable anymore. When his blade finally connected with the object it seemed as if the cut was clean enough to make sure that nothing from inside came out.

"It would be bad if both parts hit the ground at the speed. I'll just have to cut it up some more."

With little effort and a quick hand, Tachikawa let loose more slag see towards the objects. The number of objects started increasing as they became smaller and smaller. Enough to where they seemed more like small rocks falling from the sky.

That had started a rain of the pieces that had made up the Trion Solder known as Revolution.


	9. Operating - To_the_End

Ranbanein watched it all while alone atop a snowy hill.

A battle had been fought as two sides were interrupted twice by unexpected forces. The Wanderers specialized in that exchange of attacks and capture known as a greeting.

_...That really is pretty fun._

Ranbanein had fought against them before, so he had experienced it a few times.

Their forces tended to have different ways of attacking and capturing, so they had control on certain aspects. They would pass by with differing values, but based on what he had heard before...

"That's supposed to be based on the odd tournaments that were popular in some other land..."

Due to the odd ways of the moving group, they could not afford any sort of stalling from others without some kind of result or reason. Their battles had always been to determine what they can and cannot do against many variations of opposition.

That was where their capture came in.

In the capture, they could judge each other's strength, settle things whenever, or continue into a full-on battle if necessary.

But this capture had been difficult to judge. Damage-wise, the Wanderers' side had lost since they had lost the main body of their ultimate weapon. But...

_...Is this a difference in morale?_

As everything settled down for Miden, it's people would begin to realize what would be happening with their protectors as even more Neighbors went through to attack.

Meanwhile, the Wanderers always had the chance to escape or continue an attack while everything settled down.

"It's like they have the winner and loser backwards."

"Ranbanein, why are you muttering complicated stuff to yourself? And where's Hairein?"

The footsteps approaching him from the hill's snow behind him belonged to Mira. Then she said more.

"Everyone's about to take action. World's Cancer, Wanderers...as well as Miden and us."

.

Ranbanein saw Mira approaching him.

She was looking out at the drops falling toward a frost-covered forest a few kilometers away.

"Huh? ...My brother isn't with you? I caught a glimpse of him from the other side."

"Oh, he said that a big change was coming soon that would send others running from the forest, so he went to speak with others."

"He always worries about certain things first, doesn't he? ...Oh, but with Misó being less active, we might get more than just simple meals, so maybe this will be good."

He grinned towards the small woman.

"Anyway, why are you here? You look like you're about to trip with every step."

"I'm not going to trip," said Mira as she arrived at his side, took a breath, and paused before saying more. "It was a rush, but we've got a connection. Pyr put in a lot of work, so make sure to thank Viza."

"You did what you could too, right? Don't give Pyr and Viza all the credit. It's not like you have that much credit to call your own."

"You're really good at thoughtlessly hurting people's feelings, you know that?"

Mira lowered her crouching hips onto the snow and Ranbanein frowned.

"Hey."

"Oh, I'm fine. Unlike yesterday, I'm wearing waterproof tights."

"Your ass'll still get cold.

"Girls' tights are insulated. Now stop before I fill you full of holes."

"I see."

Ranbanein looked toward the snowy forest and heard something move toward him in the snow at his feet.

"Ranbanein, are you worried about the people from Miden?"

"Is anyone in the know not?"

"I'm not." Mira wrapped her arms around her knees. "I wonder what will happen once this invasion is over."

"I wouldn't know. Go ask Viza or my brother... I mean our captain."

"You do too know." Mira pointed her nose to the north while still holding her knees. "There is some rumor going around that says we will be rebelled against while we are invading this land. But our forces can't return to counter and will get taken out by others. Sadly it might be Misó. And..."

And...

"Someone seems to think I will die before that even happens. From what, I do not know."

"That better not be the case while you still have Speiraskia, since you are our best way of transporting a lot of stuff and getting out of tight spots. There's no way you're dying before anything happens."

"That would normally be something to worry about. Hmm. I don't really get the pointless stuff you're saying, but I am thankful for having such a good body," said Mira. "So if I do 'die', I think I'll retire."

"Ah? You won't be coming with us? You could take another name or stick with us as a normal fighter."

"Do you want me to?"

"Having you around is a huge help. It means I don't have to manage my finances."

"Hmm," thought Mira when he responded so readily. She added a second "hmm" before responding. "If anything, you should probably use more of your money."

"I don't really care about fashion and I'm never at home."

"No, not that. I mean use it on other people. Like some subordinates or the residents of your area."

"I thought I was..."

He scratched his head and Mira smiled bitterly.

"I more or less know you want to do that kind of thing and that's why Hairein and I arrange for it, but you should use more money on better things than what you already are using it on. Simple things can be a problem to appreciate at times."

"That sounds like a pain, so you do it."

"Nn..."

"You're better at that kind of thing than me, right? So take care of it."

He said it with a sigh and then he took a breath.

If not for the current situation, he knew that she would have attacked him for the casual words he was saying.

* * *

"You couldn't find Rhinoceros Beetle 07?"

That question came from an elevated location. Multiple panels created a barrier under the sky above the Ariake and the sky's sunset was coloring the open front to the main entrance of the large ship belonging to the Wanderers.

Futoyuki stood there with a red sash draped over his outfit and he was speaking into the window next to him, but it was only text that answered him.

While looking at his own window to the right, Marfa - a young man who seemed like a teacher - supplemented the words from the unspeaking responder.

"Sir, I have confirmed that Rhinoceros Beetle 07 was seen returning to the Ariake from the city. It then received a checkup from Sanshū at the medical room, but we do not know where it went after that. After double checking, I have confirmed that Rhinoceros Beetle 07 was seen returning to the Ariake from the city. It then-..."

"Marfa, you don't have to get stuck in a loop."

"My apologies."

Marfa bowed and Futoyuki nodded back before crossing his arms.

"This isn't good. We messed up with the original, but we have to do things right with Pyrínas 07, who had gained an ego."

"Right. I have determined our reputation is on the line. I will instruct them to continue the search."

"That's right," agreed Futoyuki.

He faced forward.

From the opened front, he could see the entire area of Mikado City that contained the organization that had managed to stop them. People - and only people - were all working all over the city to continue on with what they had to deal with during the day.

"For now..."

He then spoke to no one in particular.

"Hey. Am I doing the wrong thing here?"

"I have determined you are not as long as you are capable of asking yourself that. Of course, that does not apply to those who only make a show of asking themselves and unquestioningly believe they are right in their heart."

"True enough." Futoyuki smiled bitterly and shut his eyes. "But I still want to give voice to my concerns."

Namely...

"What happened when we were on our way to the other places."

.

Until recently, where he had been back then had been visible from here.

"The ones who are into engineering... Even regular agents it seems."

When the city was tossed into organized chaos, Border's members who had not been captured had been running around. To preserve the safety of the city, they had been checking not only the largest areas but also the smallest ones that could have been overlooked without issue. Those jobs were technically under the jurisdiction of real officers and firemen, but the Border members had taken it upon themselves to make sure the citizens were okay even when they had been told that the non-combatants would not be involved.

Once the Trion Domes were protecting certain buildings in the city, no one could get inside, so they needed travel along other ways. They had used the wide and long roads they saw from their multiple views of the area. But...

"Did you know?"

 _I can't keep that hint of excitement from my voice,_ thought Futoyuki as he spoke to Marfa.

"When we looked at the different sections of different nations, a huge row of defense come up to block our view at times. And when they glow, any surrounding buildings look like they shift to the side or are swept away."

Futoyuki spread his arms a little.

"It's all surrounded by trion in an instant. It's a breathtaking view. But the simplicity of this single city..."

"You love Miden, don't you?"

Marfa's words briefly froze Futoyuki's movements and expression.

_...That's right._

There was no point in hiding it and he was not even sure if there was enough there to hide, but he decided to be a little stubborn regardless.

"It's not the Miden I love. ...As much of a pain as it is, I just love all of those scenes where you can see this odd world's history move. I especially love the ones I run into and realize that only I've noticed the turning point there."

At that time, he had inappropriately realized that only he was gasping and viewing that breathtaking view. But...

"If it wasn't for that counter, that is..."

Perhaps it had been punishment. No, the conflict with Miden had been official and the damage to their forces by those opponents had been deemed part of that official conflict. But the Wanderers had still been weakened, and...

"There were a lot of issues."

His position as the leader of the Wanderers had not helped in the slightest.

_...It was entirely meaningless._

The Trion Soldier he had worked on with his trusted comrades had left their orders and it had decided to attack on its own.

That may have been why he had thought something for what was likely the first time.

_...There are some things not even a high position holder or anyone else can fight._

There was a type of power that forced helplessness onto people and rendered all resistance futile.

"It isn't violence, political power, or public opinion. ...You can simply call it the history left behind which encompasses all of that."

It swallowed up all else and set everything in motion.

It included the circumstances, the flow of time, the preparations, and the movement of the people.

There were times when it all complexly intertwined and left one unable to do anything but accept the violence, political power, and public opinion they should have been able to resist.

 _In that case,_ thought Futoyuki. _It isn't the violence, the political power, or the public opinion that's so frightening._

It was losing the chance to resist all that. That was difficult to sum up in a single word, but...

_...Perhaps I should call it "destiny". The former leader might have called me a fool for thinking that though._

Futoyuki spoke his next thought aloud.

"I suppose that unopposable destiny accumulates to form what we call history."

"Sir."

"Yes?"

"Right." Marfa nodded and spoke calmly. "I define history as something people create and assisting people is the greatest task of a Trion Soldier like myself. Saying that history is created by inevitable destiny and not people's wills would affect my raison d'etre as a Trion Soldier with someone's consciousness."

"Marfa."

Futoyuki turned toward him and swung his left hand upwards.

The dull sword he had grabbed at some point whipped up the wind, flipping up Marfa's coat. Marfa quickly pushed the coat back down with his left hand, but he still frowned.

"...Sir?"

His tone was asking for the meaning of that and Futoyuki reacted with a gentle movement.

He sighed.

"Well? Could you resist that?"

"No."

Marfa was correct. He shook his head and corrected his posture.

"I could not resist it. I could only reduce the damage it caused as much as possible."

"I'm the same. That was all I could do when that counter hit."

Futoyuki said something he had said to Marfa many times before.

"People can 'cause' things on their own, but they cannot know what will 'happen' to them ahead of time and they cannot act in advance to stop it from happening. And when what happens to them is caused by many factors and not just an individual's will, the level of impossibility only rises."

Hey.

"Is that why the world in motion is such a breathtaking view?"

Futoyuki looked down at the expanse of colors before him. Marfa instantly stepped forward and flipped up Futoyuki's coat.

"Eh?"

Futoyuki was speechless, so Marfa nodded and spoke.

"I have determined that is a breathtaking view, sir."

"...Marfa."

Marfa swiftly jumped back and Futoyuki took a half step after him and whipped up the wind again. Marfa landed while holding his side coat in place.

"Not bad, sir!"

Without replying, Futoyuki tried to flip up Marfa's coat to make absolutely sure he won, but instead he had his own flipped up, putting him one point behind.

It was silly, but he could lose himself in it as long as he knew that. So he and Marfa used the full bridge to take positions against each other.

He spun around, rushed in, and pushed at the outer edge of his opponent's knee so the knee would collapse.

"—"

But when his opponent lowered his hips and moved back, he started to circle behind him to get the Trion Soldier to pursue him. He thought he had the perfect shot and whipped up the wind, but the Trion Soldier easily avoided it. But...

_...Honestly._

That reborn Trion Soldier was excellent at inventing ways to get him to take a break.

Futoyuki was the active type, but that was why moving his body made for a nice change of pace. As a result, he had learned martial arts and how to use a sword. Those abilities had come in handy when gaining leadership in the Wanderers.

But besides that, moving his body was fun and he upped his speed with nothing on his mind besides capturing Marfa.

But suddenly...

"Is this how it works!?"

Both Futoyuki and Marfa had the sides and backs of their coats flipped up at once.

.

It had happened without warning, but...

_...Eh?_

There was a reason for Futoyuki's confusion. He and Marfa were facing each other. To flip up both their coats, someone would have needed to instantly circle behind both him and Marfa. And do it fast enough that they did not notice.

He found his answer.

"Mr. Chishi?"

.

Marfa was cautious of the branch director in a track suit.

Akasora was a former teacher who now worked for Border, so he was obligated to check on them as a branch director. Especially after their recent conflict. But...

_...I heard he taught the ones who took down Sanshū and the one who hit down the Ultimate Pyrínas was using._

Most of the time Miden used their schooling systems to teach them things that did not revolve around fighting in the slightest, let alone fighting using Triggers. It had been something Futoyuki learned from his former leader. But what he had seen during their greeting went beyond what some places taught in their own teachings.

_...And I have determined that their skills have grown quite a bit thanks to the people like that "Yuki" Sanshū mentioned. Our former leader would probably be really happy about this._

In other words, the teacher who had trained some of their enemy stood before them.

That was why Marfa stood between Akasora and Futoyuki. Holding his hands together in front of his waist would be the standard pose, but he let them dangle at his sides this time.

He then gave a quick bow without taking his eyes off the man and asked a question.

"Do you have business with Leader Futoyuki, Mr. Chishi?"

"Sort of." Akasora put a hand on his chin and faced Marfa. "About the special meeting and requirements. I gave it the stamp of approval and our Director Shinoda gave his permission, so it's all ready to go. Last time, Masafumi said he'd 'take care of it', but this time it's going to be completely official for us."

"Are you sure?"

"I don't mind at all as a teacher, but it is a pain as a member of Border."

"A pain?"

Akasora's eyes and eyebrows bent in a smile and he beckoned him over.

Marfa looked back and made eye contact with Futoyuki before facing Akasora again.

"...Do you need something?"

Akasora moved his face in close and pointed down.

Marfa was confused, but the man's expression changed to a glare.

"They haven't been doing too much that seems important, but they be been goofing off down below in the branch we have. What am I suppose to do about this? Could I maybe fire an attack down at them? I really want to tell them to quit goofing off and start studying."

"Judging from the situation, are you furious?"

"Maybe two steps away from it. I haven't even been to the beach yet this year..."

"In the interest of self-preservation, I will nod and say that is truly unfortunate, but since it is currently an odd position for both sides, isn't it up to the people to decide what to do?"

"So I can't do it, huh?" sighed Akasora.

Then someone spoke from behind Marfa. It was Futoyuki.

"While I would love to jump into some water, completely naked-"

"An unnecessary addition of words, sir."

"...You seem awfully calm, Mr. Chishi. Do you trust your people that much?"

"Eh? If we're talking about my students, the one who will likely be speaking with you, I certainly don't trust them to behave in class or do their schoolwork, but I trust them in everything that matters. A poor student is made by a poor teacher. I've taught them, so of course I trust them. What about you? From the looks of things, that older man seems to know what's really going on, but he just smiles and doesn't really get involved."

Akasora looked around for a second before turning back to the two.

"Oh. And no need for any type of formality. Akasora, Chishi, Sensei. Anything is good for me."

Akasora smiled a little and Marfa recalled something. Futoyuki's second-in-command was a man of few words, but he had said something when he had heard about Futoyuki's decision to hold this special general meeting with the ones who witnessed Pyrínas Original's failure as a weapon.

_..."Create the future."_

What had he meant? It was conceptually unclear. After all, the ability to create the future on their own contradicted the unavoidable destiny that Futoyuki feared.

That may have been why Marfa asked a question without thinking.

"Akasora-sensei, do you think people can create the future? Or do you think Miden resistance is shattered by an unavoidable dest-. ...That sounds a lot like something Hatomi would say. I am very sorry. What I mean is-..."

"Hey, boys?"

Akasora straightened up again and gave them a small smile.

"I don't really know about that. Humans, what we call our people, are so small, after all. But there is one thing even I can tell you."

"Which is?"

"Right." Akasora nodded. "Have you ever stood on the world stage to set the world in motion?"

Marfa sensed Futoyuki tensing up behind him.

That may have been enough for Akasora.

"Good." He put his hands on his hips. "Looks like you aren't just trying to believe in some selfish little world you created in your imagination."

He had one more thing to say.

"Then you're probably going to be a lot of trouble for my kids."

* * *

The "How" had never been more important than the "Why" when it came to dealing with their Trion Soldiers. There was hardly ever reason to ask "How" something came about when they were the ones in charge. The "Why" was all that mattered. They needed to know what their response would be when asked the question.

Why did they try to help other nations? How would it benefit both sides?

Why did they do such strange things? How much did they gain from their strange ways?

Why were they always moving instead of setting up some sort of base? How had they managed to keep themselves together while moving?

There had never been a reason to ask the "How" before the "Why" when it mattered a lot less to everyone else. The priorities were always towards the reason as to why they did what they did. Asking them how they went about doing it was always an afterthought.

"This time it is different. We ourselves are asking 'How' instead of 'Why' and it is being directed at ourselves. This is causing us a nice big headache that makes me wonder 'Why' I am still here and 'How' can I still be so sane."

Hatomi let out a tired sigh as he looked over the data they had on the Trion Soldier known as Pyrínas.

It had been a strange thing for the Autonomous Trion Solder to go against the programmed orders and create its own to follow. While they had given it free will, they made sure to keep it on a leash that would guarantee them control over it.

Yet something had happened with that control.

"Sanshū had told us that even the Trion Soldiers that came from Génnisi had been going against her commands. Only the ones that she created recently were listening to her order. That means the will that Pyrínas had created for itself had extended towards the older Trion Soldiers we created."

Hatomi grinned to himself.

"Interesting."

He had been looking over everything they had, every piece of the Trion Soldier known as Pyrínas, and even more from the safety of the Ariake. Word had been sent to him that one of Miden's soldiers had made it onto the Ariake at some point, but he thought nothing of it as he worked.

What mattered right now was finding the faults in their work and what had happened to Pyrínas. Rhinoceros Beetle 07 had been asked to come by the Ariake to determine what had caused the change in Pyrínas Original to begin with during their invasion.

"The fact we had to ask him instead of ordering him makes me so excited. It means there is something about Trion Soldiers that we did not know about and now need to learn in order to better ourselves. I had worked on Pyrínas Original with our former leader, but this has never happened before."

_"Hey, old man, stop rambling to yourself and step out of your cave for a bit. One of Miden's people came by to see you in order to make sure you aren't doing anything that would cause more trouble for everyone."_

"I'll have you know that I am just trying to figure out what happened to Pyrínas. Tell that Miden person that I am fine with reveling my findings once they are done."

_"I don't want to lie like that! Look, I'm just going to send them in to you. You can lie to their face or do whatever else. I'm busy myself trying to make sure that Sanshū doesn't go on a rampage or anything. Marfa seems fine enough, so she isn't too worried about him. She even checked on him to make sure there was nothing wrong with him like Pyrínas. Besides that, she seems to want to go down to the ground to see one of the Miden people she had fought against."_

Hatomi sighed as he rubbed his temple.

Shona knew how to irritate him almost as well as Futoyuki did. The difference was that she was far less innocent than the younger male and did these things on purpose.

The difference between their members was always atonishing. Two of their longest standing members were rather innocent for everything they had seen while two of their newest members were unrefined and crude given how little they had seen.

_Why did we pick them up again?_

"Shona, remind me where our main forces are from again. I think my age is getting to me."

_"Wow! You actually admit that!"_

She was sure he knew where she was from.

_"Right, right. Write this down so I don't have to repeat myself again. You may be aged, but I'm not nice enough to keep saying the same thing."_

"Out with it."

There was a moment where some rustling could be heard.

A small static noise filled the room before the same voice was heard.

"I actually can't remember where Kia and I came from, to tell you the truth. All I remember is that it was some nation that may or may not have been destroyed. Don't really care to remember it."

Hatomi held his tongue, not wanting to bring up any bad memories for the girl.

"After that, going from latest to oldest... Sanshū is from Leoforio. You are from Chion. Last would be our current leader. I will even say our former leader, in case you forgot. First is our current leader."

Futoyuki.

The boy who had come from a certain nation that made him dispise himself once word of an event got to them. His personality was far different from what had been seen before.

"Futoyuki is from Aftokrator. One of the nation's who refused our words and attacked us the moment that rejection came about."

Once word of their invasion on Miden reached them, their captain had gone to hide himself from everything around him. Nothing had been said and nothing had been done after that. There was nothing on him for quite some time with the only thing letting them know that he was still active being some sounds from his room.

The reason was a harsh one.

"As for our former leader... We are current stationed on the world he originated from. He is from Miden. Oh. But I don't recall him ever mentioning an organization like the one we fought today. Maybe something new?"

Their current leader's home world had attacked their former leader's home world.

_That had been when Futoyuki completely cut any ties with Aftokrator. They are the only ones who he considers an actual enemy now._

Hatomi let out another sigh as he thought about what he had just been told. Everything lined up with what he remembered.

This was one of the few moments where he truly did feel his age and pity the young ones he knew. Each one of them had their reasons for joining the Wanderers and by remembering where they were all from reminded him exactly what those reasons were.

It had been painful the first time hearing them. Even now, after spending time with them all, he still felt pain for them.

_"Hey, old man, I'm sending that Miden person to you now. I have other things to do right now, so don't bother bothering me about it. Huh? What!? Huh!?"_

There was a strange sound from the other end that made Hatomi tilt his head.

As one of the two people who had full authority of the Ariake, he opened a new window to listen in on what was being said to Shona. What it was made him shudder a bit.

_"Lady Shona, I have just received word from Marfa, who is with our leader, that Lady Sanshū has gone down to Miden again. Her apparent target is one of the buildings we had covered in trion to prevent intervention."_

Hatomi felt a cold sweat start to appear on his forehead as he heard those words.

* * *

"And so our victorious mood from this strange greeting ends here. This information was just officially sent to us via Border's directors, but the Wanderers have agreed to talk with us about what they wanted and how it can benefit both sides."

Kimura spoke in her track suit and her words rang through the small room where some of Border's members were gathered.

They were in a far room of the Yagura Branch belonging to Border, facing the outer city. This was the tatami-floored meeting room in the back of the building's second floor.

Things still had to be organized there for the branch, but it was a place for them whenever needed. And Kimura said more there.

"I would now like to go over what information we have and then think about our next move. ...Got that?"

.

The Wanderers had finally finished their greeting towards Mikado City due to Border's interference.

The room inside of the Yagura Branch's building was still being arranged and Mikado City's maintenance was underway. In the room, Murakami turned to Suzaku, the source of the information, to confirm what Kimura was saying.

When Suzaku noticed his gaze, he nodded back and Murakami sensed some concern in his gaze.

_...Oh._

Only after wondering why that was did he remember that his former school teacher was on the Wanderers' ship and he was a favored student to Akasora, Yagura Branch's director. However...

"Don't worry. I have faith in Sensei. My thoughts as a student is a different matter. Isn't that right?"

Suzaku's eyebrows rose slightly and he finally smiled.

"Eh? Oh, yes, that's right. Right? You're Akasora-san's knig-...student, right? Just like Yucchi and Takato-san, right?"

_...Are you still bothered by not being able to do much earlier!?_

Murakami also blushed for no real reason.

Behind them, Suzume's shoulders were shaking in suppressed laughter, but Murakami and Suzaku could still hear it. However, the nudist in a track suit jacket and Kon were sitting out front and had not noticed.

So Murakami calmed his breathing and spoke.

"Kimura."

They had to focus on strategy right now.

Murakami raised his right hand in his blue track suit and asked Kimura a question.

"Kimura, why did Sensei go to the Neighbor's ship?"

"Right. Simply put, he went for a proper greeting so that another fight would not start up."

Kimura swung her right index finger to open a window along the path of the finger. The window opened in a stacked document-checking mode, but she had the small German Shepard in her arms rotate it by 90 degrees and then enlarge it.

"You've gotten used to this," commented Ōji.

"I have, haven't I?"

Kimura nodded in obvious satisfaction, but Senzai silently pointed at the open window while assembling a bookcase.

When she looked back, she found the window on table-screen was upside down.

_...Oh, dear._

Murakami found it adorable and Kimura sighed in obvious dissatisfaction.

"Oh, um, Krümel, when rotating it, you can't just rotate it. Everyone has to be able to read the-...oh, is that too confusing? Um, when it's oriented sideways, this side goes down. Can you remember that? Then let's try rotating it. Spin, spiiiiin. Right. Then what about this side? Down? Down. Oh, good job, good job. I'll have to give you a treat to reward you. Okay? Okay? Ah ha ha. Here you go."

"Kawa, hey, hey, come on back now."

Kimura noticed the track suit jacket calling out to her, so she cleared her throat.

Then Kon turned back toward Murakami.

"Kimura, I believe Kō-kun asked a question."

"Right. And I'll answer it."

The open window displayed a simple map of Mikado City and specific locations.

.

Murakami heard Kimura speak while gesturing to the map.

"Listen. Apparently what those Neighbor did was apparently a 'greeting' and that became the basis for understanding what they want. Akasora-san, someone who doesn't mind a lot of things, thought it best to give his own greeting. They are staying stationary within the Forbidden Zone over here."

"The directors are waiting for have the proper conversation with them, which is why it was just Akasora-san."

Murakami had rarely been in that area, but he knew the general layout of the area.

So he knew why the Neighbors had likely decided to be there.

"If they stay in that area and don't move, they would be out of the way and much more inconspicuous. They also wouldn't cause any more trouble for the citizens or us. So if they stay where they are for the moment..."

Murakami opened a window of his own. Suzaku quickly synced his with Kimura's.

_...He really has this set up well._

Suzaku must have been bringing them together using an information sharing system. Sensing the benefits of that, Murakami moved his finger along the map now displayed on his open window.

A red line was drawn along the path of his finger and it appeared on Kimura's open window as well. And it indicated...

"Most likely, if they were to move anywhere then it would be over here since it is actually closer to where we currently are at the Yagura Branch. After all, because of the recent actual invasion where Yuki, Senpai and the other three fought it has been off limits due to filling in the holes they had made. And based on everything that happened today, Border may hold off on letting more work continue there in order to have a safe place to discuss things."

He hesitated with an "um", but then he drew a circle somewhat near their current location but closer to Border's headquarters.

"This group - the Wanderers, right? - will either temporarily land or descend around here to release some ground groups. Most likely to scout the area for any traps. They were cautious enough to keep the citizens away from the fighting earlier."

"Do they really need to bother releasing ground troops?"

Ōji's question received a response from Akashi who was assembling the bookcase with Senzai. He quickly spun around, overshot his mark, and turned back the other way a bit while striking a pose with a hand on his forehead.

"They very much do need to. After all, we just returned their 'greeting' with full force. Anything other than caution will cause them to lose a second time and dampen the mood for them. More than one loss within one day would cause any organized group to decide they have to win and go all out into another fight they most likely couldn't win. If these Wanderers are concerned with traps and another loss, they will be much safer lowering themselves slowly into discussions instead of getting hit with more failure."

And...

"Even areas like that have interception and defenses set up to defend against more attacks. It's hard to tell while over here, but things have been set up by the Engineers. And the latest trend is to make them unmanned and automated, so they need to be safe from those before having any sort of discussion with us. Any questions so far? I'm good to go for anything. Oh. Except from my stupid captain. He can go back to being just a citizen for all I care."

After the half-nudist gave everyone a look, Murakami exchanged a glance with everyone. And then he spoke to Akashi.

"If there's something you want to say, you can say it."

"Wh-why does it sound like there's an implied 'not that we'll listen' on the end of that!?"

"Well, um," stalled the others as Murakami suddenly remembered a conversation that occurred earlier in the day.

His former teacher and one of Border's directors had mentioned an old friend that had also made an appearance during the "greeting" done by the Wanderers.

... _I'm_ _really worried..._

That thought had more to it:

_...About that family._

.

"Is something the matter, Kō-paisen? You look pale."

"No, um...let's just say I'm worried about a family in a broad sense."

Girikage nodded at Murakami's response.

"So you are worried about your family?"

He saw Murakami start to nod but then shake his head.

"Oh, yeah. I am worried about my family in the broader sense I mentioned, but if anyone, it's Tenryū's father I am really worried about..."

"Whatever the case, it is a-parent you are worried about someone's parents."

Girikage tried to respond to Kimura. He had to say something. The heart of a tsukkomi was an immediate delivery. But Suzaku placed a hand on his shoulder from behind to stop him.

"Y-you can't, Girikage! That only did light damage! We can handle it!"

"Ahh, I can't handle iiiit. I can't handle it at alllll."

"This is no laughing matter, Misaki! And Girikage, you need to resist!"

"No, do not stop me, Suzaku-san."

"Ha ha ha. Look at that, Krümel. Girikage liked my pun."

"Face reality!" everyone shouted.

Kimura tilted her head at that, but Girikage turned back toward Murakami with an air of "anyway".

"To get back on topic, it would seem Kō-paisen has a bad feeling about the father of someone who takes after a person we all know."

Girikage placed a hand on Murakami's shoulder.

"When that little ninja's frail and hentai-protagonist nature lands him in trouble, Tsukiko-paisen, your friend, will make a heroic appearance, hide him somewhere safe, and protect him. And then his father will end up seeing someone who should not be seen by him. Isn't that right?"

"In a broad sense, I feel like all of that is entirely accurate."

This sounded like a personal issue, so Girikage decided not to dig any deeper and instead turned to Suzaku next to Murakami.

"Suzaku-san, have you received any other information from Border that could be of use to Kimura-san?"

"N-no, Border has yet to say anything else on this matter. Same with the Wanderers. And as for the general public..." Suzaku's eyebrows grew flat. "They are apparently waiting for Border to do something since they had been unaware of everything until the very end."

"In other words, the general public will not have any crazy hacking Sniper-Shooters like you. ...That must take incredible restraint."

"Huh, huh? I feel like you have a weirdly distorted view of me," said Suzaku. "Oh, and they have no choice but to wait for Border to make a decision, but they apparently intend to avoid using any political power because of how little damage was actually done this time."

"Wait," said Ikoma as he stuck his head in through a window. "The public's holdin' their political forces? ...Ain't that backwards?"

"That's right," responded Murakami.

Girikage raised his head to hear what they had to say. He saw Akashi standing up, straightening his collar, and clearing his throat, so...

"Please tell us, Kitazoe-san."

"Ehhhhh!? Me! You'd normally ask me, right!? Do you hate me, Girikage!? W-wait! If you direct that much negative emotion my way, I-I'll...!"

"I think you can ignore him, Girikage."

"That's right. Yes."

"Heh heh. Pay him no heed. Now, can you answer that question, Zoe-san!?"

With Suzaku, Murakami, and Suzume supporting him, Girikage knew he had made the right decision. They all looked over to Kitazoe who responded while nervously munching on his snack of bread crust in a bag.

"U-um..."

"Do you need something like butter, Kitazoe-san?"

"Ah! Y-you'll give me some!? I'll take it! I'll take it!"

"Right. Then...here is 'something like butter'."

"You make it sound like a small difference, but this is completely different! ...Wow, it smells like butter, but it's super hard!"

Kitazoe sighed and then answered.

"Anyway, even though their 'greeting' is done, the Wanderers can still be a threat to anyone who is looking at it from a different angle."

.

Girikage listened to Kitazoe's words and passed the boy something like jam in a bamboo grass wrapper.

"Here. Now continue. That was a bribe."

"I'm grateful but also not grateful. ...Well, I guess I'll continue."

Kitazoe brought his legs together as he sat on the tatami mat floor.

"For the general public these guys can still be a major threat while the rest of us see them as people who just fought and were betrayed. We don't know anything about them, but the directors seem fine enough to have discussions with them. The reason for that..."

"Because those old guys really care about their wives or are still single."

"Wow," said Suzaku, Murakami, and Nasu as they leaned back a little.

But Kitazoe groaned in thought and then continued.

"I think it's most likely because we can get some more Neighbor technology in preparation for later."

Akashi used both hands to wildly gesture toward himself, but Senzai handed him some glue. They were apparently starting to attach the shelves to the bookcase.

And Kitazoe glanced over at Kimura.

Kimura nodded and checked her open window's settings.

"Suzaku, can you sync this with Kitazoe-san's?"

"Yes. ...And done."

Kitazoe nodded toward Suzaku and reached for his own phone's open window. Since they were synced, Kitazoe's list of sites for mail-ordering snacks appeared on the left of Kimura's large open window, but Kitazoe did not hesitate to start staring at it.

"Um, this is the place."

It displayed the area where the Wanderers would likely go next in their city.

"The discussions will be held here later on. That decisive discussion determines how those guys will be seen over here. But while Border will be holding these discussions with those wanderers, the directors won't be the ones to be speaking there. ...there will be plenty of reasons why, but we kind of win either way."

Girikage passed Kitazoe something like marmalade and whispered into his ear.

"This is a tip. Now, please work just a little more."

"What kind of character am I in your mind, Girikage?"

But Kitazoe took a breath and drew a circle on the area. He wrote the character for "release" inside it as the first character of wanderer.

"Unexpected Release!" exclaimed the idiot.

Nasu hit his face with a 10 yen coin and somewhat raised her eyebrows while glaring at him.

"You are the worst."

"W-wait a second! In your case, it would be Inactive Unexpected Release, wouldn't it!?"

Suzume hit the idiot's face with a 10 yen coin while smiling at him.

"You are the worst."

"W-wait! In your case, it would be Active Unexpected Release!"

They both hit him with a 10 yen coin and he rolled backwards.

_...This is not good..._

_I need to pass this off to someone else,_ thought Girikage. _But who?_ As his gaze swept across the room, everyone ducked out of the way. Everyone except Suzaku, that is. So...

"Hacking Sniper Unexpected Release."

"L-let's calm down, Girikage! It's starting to sound like we're just saying whatever weird thing we want! And the rules say you can't bring our jobs into this!"

"Understood. Then...Suzaku Unexpected Release."

"That's even worse!"

"Heh heh heh. That's dangerous! That's real dangerous, Dai-chan!"

Suzume was a musician of first tier entertainment, so if she liked it, Girikage was satisfied.

"Um, may I continue?" asked Kitazoe.

"Yes, you may."

He nodded, drew a circle on the Forbidden Zone, and then wrote a 1 for Border.

He then waited for about 5 seconds.

"No reaction? Are you all okay?"

"Yeah. We are just fine. ...But the self-styled entertainer couldn't do anything with that? I suppose that is why you are only 'self-styled'."

"D-dammit! I had something in mind! I swear I did!"

"Yes, yes. Right, right."

Murakami intervened to calm the two and Kitazoe nodded.

"Umm, Border gains two things by sending field agents out front to hold these discussions with the Wanderers. The first is that we can have a better chance at negotiations with them and others."

"Negotiations?"

"Yeah. In other words, _whether or not_ our field agents view this as the best opportunity to gain more from them. Some of the general public holds more favor towards field agents than ones who stay at the base since they are the ones fighting. So if they view this as a good choice, there would be no real complaints that can't be dealt with. Anything they throw would be tossed aside."

Also...

"The second is to leave the Wanderers indebted to us. By having our field agents, who had fought against them, talk with them, it will show them that there is no real grudge against them. It helps them view us in a better light so that they can give us more and come back to do so whenever we would need them. So..."

Girikage nodded.

"Are you saying that Border can use them to handle any surprise invasions?"

"Yeah," confirmed Kitazoe.

Jinsei raised his hand and tilted his head.

"Ha-ha-han? Um..."

"I was trying to say you need a hand but misspoke."

"Oh, is that all? ...Wait, no! And why are you taking the boke role, Dai-chan!? That's my job, isn't it!? Isn't it!? And when did you start getting this kind of sense of humor!?"

"Vice-Captain-san, your bokes have grown stale lately."

"That was harsh..." commented the others, so he decided to keep their opinion in mind. But...

"They can handle surprise invasions... That means they have the 'numbers' needed to determine which side wins. Use that thinking and you too can sound smart, so make sure to remember it."

.

Kimura watched as the idiot said, "I see."

_...Is he starting to gain some interest in important things?_

Lately, Jinsei seemed to be leaving everything to the others while still getting as much information as he could.

At the moment, he was staring at Kitazoe's snack list on the sign frame. And...

"Zoe, if you want strawberries, why not get them from the next city over? You were there earlier, weren't you?"

"Well, I was busy when I was over there, so I didn't really have any time. I also got yelled at when I did try to get some."

"There's no helping that." Jinsei smiled and looked at the scrolling list some more. "I feel like there's a lot of overlap with our preference lists..."

 **Life:** "Hey, Sumi-chan. Isn't that right?"

 **Haru:** "Wh-what are you talking about!? I have very specific tastes, so I don't have a long list like that!"

 **Shiro:** "Haru-san, sorry about the wait. My shift is over. The boss gave me a sake manju, so how about we eat it together while we head to Yagura?"

 **Haru:** "Oh, that sounds wonderful. But I only see one of them..."

Suzume started whispering when she heard that.

"Suzaku's dad does some good work."

"Yeah, Suzume-chan, let's record this."

 **Shiro:** "Haru-san, that just means we each take half. Just like those others things."

 **Haru:** "Right. Okay, Shiro-chan, give me your hand. We are in a bit of a hurry."

 **Shiro:** "Right. ...Huh. With both hands full, we couldn't fight back if we were attacked now."

"Hell yes."

"Hell yes."

The Sniper and Shooter pair exchanged a high five, but the wannabe-prince complained.

"Oh, crap! I failed to predict this one and didn't record it! Will someone sell it to me!?"

"Sure, sure."

The fact that Nasu would sell it was the most frightening part. _I hope all our information is safe,_ thought Kimura, but she had to trust that nothing of critical importance would get out.

But...

"To sum up everything Kitazoe-san said... Everyone is thinking about what will happen after these discussions are over."

"I see," said Girikage with a nod.

He eventually placed a hand on the nudist's shoulder next to him.

"Vice-Captain-san, it would seem that many people would prefer to deal with Neighbors than with you. How does it feel to strip as much as humanly possible and still get rebuffed? You stripped for nothing."

"Dammit. I'm definitely sending that wandering leader a complaint mail sometime! I'll piss him off by attaching a doctored photo of everyone eating some good earthly food!"

"Oh?" said Murakami.

When everyone turned toward him, he blushed a little, looked to Girikage, and then to the idiot next to him.

"Um...Jinsei? Do you actually have some way to send stuff to the Wanderers' leader? I didn't think anyone spoke to them since the 'greeting' ended."

"Yeah, but apparently it was sent through a really weird way since it came in the form for a large Trion Soldier. Dude was huge when he came by. Had kids hanging off of him and everything. Where he found my address, I don't know."

The half-nudist opened a new window showing Futoyuki's message with the 'personally written' mark next to it.

It said, "Would you like to be my friend?"

"Vice-Captain-san, why do I feel like this was actually meant for a member of this branch?"

"Really, that leader seems somewhat eccentric to me," said Murakami.

"If you ask me, we might be in trouble if Jinsei makes any more friends of this sort," said Suzaku. "Something would be seriously wrong if a bunch of oddballs started appearing together. Even worse if they end up as nudists."

"Whose side are you on!?" he shouted.

"And don't do any diplomacy on your own, Kirikari."

Establishing friendly relations was a good thing, but the world could be a difficult place. At any rate...

"Right. Listen, Kirikari, if you're going to write any message, I suggest getting your mother to look at it first. I bet she can locate any a-parent problems with it. ...Why are you all so tense? You need to laugh..

"Now she's demanding we find it funny!?"

_...Huh? But that's the second time I used that one. Isn't that how a running gag works?_

_Maybe I have to use it even more first,_ decided Kimura.

Ikoma nodded from the window and then jumped off. Something else had needed his attention. Suzaku could be seen signing the notification.

But as he left, Ikoma asked a question.

"What're we gonna do? We have to deal with the sponsors still. We can always just be buddy-buddy with the Neighbors and not say crap to those sponsors."

"That's right," agreed Kimura. "And that brings us to our main topic: what we should do now."

She could see everyone perk up at that. She could tell that Ikoma, Inukai, and Oshiro were listening over the Border line. Kumagai and some others working with each other were as well. So...

"First, we need to make sure these discussions go well, which includes gaining the Wanderers' support, and we need to move things along toward a better place. So the first thing we just do...is confirm if they know our current alliance."

.

In the back room of the Yagura Branch, Kimura opened an open window displaying a map of the Forbidden Zone.

"Our first objective to confirming that they know the Neighbor worlds we are allied with."

Border went on expeditions through Gates to Neighbor worlds, negotiating and/or taking their information and technology, but there was one specific one that had become the closest thing to an ally.

Border had their own things to give to Neighbors that were unexpected.

 _There are a lot of things we would not expect if we had not seen them for ourselves,_ thought Kimura.

"As I already said, we are allied with a Neighbor world through unorthodox means. We have yet to properly meet anyone from that world as a regular trade off, but we managed a connection to them. But that place requires something for their continued cooperation. That being..."

"Information about our world."

The answer was given by Senzai who was assembling the bookcase in the entrance space. He kept his back to her as he continued.

"They require information about our world as a trade off for not attacking, supporting in a minimal way and coming to our aide if we are that desperate for it. This connection was made because of the two Trion Soldiers they had apparently sent over. The information we have to give them is nothing too major, so there is little problem with it."

"Oh? So what do we have to give them?"

Senzai sighed at the idiot's question.

"Ask Kimura."

Kanzaki immediately turned toward Kimura. _I guess that means me,_ thought Kimura with a mental sigh.

_...But, well..._

It was surprising for Senzai to talk about that Neighbor world like this.

 **Viper:** "I'm shocked to hear you talk on and on like that."

 **SenSen:** "Wait. What kind of person do you think I am?"

 **Honest Sister:** "Oh, shut up. Now I have to redraw my storyboard..."

 **SenSen:** "Again, wait. What are you talking about?"

 _I get the feeling learning that would keep him from ever opening his mouth again,_ thought Kimura. _But I guess this kind of exchange is part of our organization's character. I also feel like these breaks take the spotlight and end up determining everything._

_But he named me, so I guess I'll have to do it._

"Okay, I'll go over what our discussion should lead to for everyone who matters."

Kimura raised 3 fingers.

"The first, as Senzai-san said, is the information we have to give to our allied Neighbor world. Starting this will mean our connections to places other than Earth will grow and we will be much safer. But..."

"Excuse me. ...We are not involved with that information, are we?"

.

Inukai spoke up as he and Oshiro walked in, so Kimura nodded.

"That's the problem. The more information we give, the more helpful they will be. So if we start giving specific things then they will need to lay back with the same amount of help or their own information. But no one ever wants to actually give away too much information when they don't have to do so. That means both sides are out in a low-giving area where they are satisfied as long as it stays the way it currently is. Our two connections to them are also ones that have minds if their own, so that also comes into play."

"So this needs to be brought up when having that discussion, Kimura. ...But will it really help us to bring it up?"

The upperclassman Sniper of Miwa Squad gave Kimura a sharp look while crossing his arms by the wall.

The light in his eyes likely meant a variety of things, but the others had let him in.

"It should at least gain their attention. We still don't know exactly what they are planning to do, but due to an idiot I know, we have a bit of information. If an opportunity doesn't present itself naturally then we will force one ourselves. This can be how it can be forced. I would like to believe that they are here for a good reason that can give us some advantage."

The Sniper did not nod, but...

"At least it seems like you are giving in it some thought."

As he said that, the idiot walked up next to him, took the same pose as him, and...

"At least it seems like you are giving in it some thought."

"D-damn you!"

"Kirikari, Tōru is being serious, so please don't tease him."

"That's right, Vice-Captain-san. What if Miwa's Sniper boy becomes infected with your nudist behavior germs?"

"D-dammit! Now you're treating me like a pathogen!?"

 _Is that anything new?_ wondered Kimura before clearing her throat and tapping the open window.

"To continue: Listen. Once we reach a certain point, it's our turn. We will reach a peaceful resolution for both sides. That is in the interest for everyone involved. It would gain us an ally while also preventing a possible enemy. What's more, we might be able to find any lost ones. So this is actually really important."

"Then we've gotta do that."

It was frightening how readily the idiot said that. Murakami glanced over at Kimura who waved a hand dismissively.

_...Besides, it is true we have to do that._

_But,_ thought Kimura. _That alliance is immediately followed by a turning point._

"There is a problem. ...It is currently loitering around the front of this branch office with three children. Another problem is that, after they become allies, won't there be some trouble with trust?"

"Huh? You mean like doing the top knot on one of their bigwigs but from the front?"

"You go die. And I'm shocked to learn you thought you were being considerate by doing it from behind. But that's not it. Are you listening?"

The others began making concerned comments about how well she was dealing with him, but she was not sure why they would think that.

But there was something she had to say.

"Do you remember what was mentioned? No, not you, idiot. Don't force yourself. And stop jumping around. ...There is movement all around us that isn't too near us. As some extra negotiation points, that group has sent us some information regarding other matters. And..."

And...

"It seems like there is something wiggling around from place to place."

.

Murakami heard a quiet sigh from Narasaka. But...

... _Senshi_ _isn't slowing down on that bookcase at all._

Of course, this knowledge had been sent to a majority of the people involved during the day.

Narasaka's sigh was likely due to the disappointment of having gained this knowledge from Neighbors who had just finished their "greeting" during the day.

And Senzai's lack of reaction was perhaps because he had already accepted that this was coming.

Murakami watched as Kimira listed up the discussion plans.

"So it looks like this."

**1: Send out field agents**

**General public sees them in a good light and the Wanderers trust people they fight more than backstage people.**

**2: Allies**

**Use an established link with a Neighbor world for common ground and more trust**

**3: Given information**

**Question and expand on already given information by the Wanderers.**

"The ones here can actively take part in #2 and #3. #2 in particular involves one of us. But..."

Murakami continued for her while aware of the tension in her brow.

"The problem is who to send to go with #1, who to send for this discussion."

"It's pathetic," said Narasaka. He leaned against the wall and did not even look Murakami's way. "According to everything that has happened, Border is in no decline by the time their 'greeting' ended. ...And yet here we are, trying to be on amicable terms with the ones who 'greeted' us."

_...Narasaka..._

Murakami understood his irritation.

"Narasaka, you view them as possibly good people, don't you?"

"What!? No! Stop making up things about me, Suzunari Ace!"

 **Honest Sister:** "I'll honestly put that in my storyboard... I need to at least end it on a happy note."

 **Bamboo Sniper:** "Wait! Don't draw something that's only happy at the end! And don't just turn me into a good person!"

 **Redhead Sister:** "Ha ha ha. As a traitor, shouldn't you want that?"

 **Platinum:** "Indeed. It would be good for you to be a good person, Mushroom Traitor!"

After watching Narasaka slowly fall to his knees by the wall, Murakami started to think he should not have said that. And...

_...Oh?_

He realized that Kirikari was looking at Senzai.

He followed his gaze to find that exchange had put a slight smile on the redhead's face.

He did not know why. It was hard to know other people's emotions or what made them laugh. If that was possible, Kimura's jokes would not bomb so badly. But for now, Murakami thought it was a good thing that his friend from a different school was accepting of this situation.

And there was one thing that mattered more than any other now.

_...How will we establish our relationship with the Wanderers?_

"We can't really talk to any of them unto, the discussion begins, but we need to make sure everything is fine enough after having their own foot soldier betray them... Isn't this kind of a strange position?"

"You would think so, wouldn't you? But that's why-..."

"Heh heh. It could even happen tonight. You're going to use something as bait to determine missing factors. But flat politician-wannabe and Knight-senpai? Isn't there something you're a little worried about?" Suzume spread her mouth horizontally in a smile. "You know what's supposed to happen later today, don't you? It's very important."

"Yeah," replied the Ninomiya Squad Gunner. He turned back toward Oshiro next to him. "The issue of Tenryū's dad is important, isn't it?"

"Hm? ...Haru-san, what do you mean it is important?"

"Right. Tenryū's dad was involved with today as well. We aren't sure about the details, but he had played some role here that was not for our benefit. ...Shiro-chan, you know what that means, don't you?"

"Oh," said Oshiro with a nod.

Murakami also realized what Suzume had meant, but he let Oshiro answer.

"If he is not taken care of, it will put Border under stress from anyone who does know, right?"

"That's right, Leader, Inukai-san. So our future hangs in the balance of the upcoming outcome for Tenryū's father. But there seems to have been a change of LANs in that..."

That was when a transmission arrived. It was voice only and from Sawamura.

"Kimura! It's urgent! Is Tenryū's with you? ...Tenryū's Seidō and the Wanderers have engaged in battle!"

_...Speak of the devil!_

The image sent to everyone's devices was a map of the Forbidden Zone.

Next to Ōji, Kurauchi commented on the location Sawamura had marked.

"This is almost exactly where Murakami predicted. Well done."

Hearing that, Kon gave Murakami a thumbs up.

He of course nodded and gave a thumbs up back. Then icons representing each fighter appeared on the map.

"The father must have found something to gain from confronting them. What that is is actually pretty obvious when you give it enough thought. ...I guess we just have to wait and see how this turns out."


	10. Children - Adult_at_Work

"Hey, Mei-chan? They landed in a relatively open area of the Forbidden Zone, right? That can't be fun for Shinoda. And we will be getting responses from the sponsors sometime tonight. ...The times are really on the move."

In a building in Mikado City, Rindō sat at a table, viewed a map, and spoke to Mei as she offered him a teacup. He then looked to the documents and envelope on the side table.

"The next city over is apparently having a meeting on their side, so I bet all this trouble is just going to keep going. We can manage just fine, but that doesn't ease the worries of us directors."

"Yeah. Kimura and the others are currently holding a meeting in the Yagura Branch Office to discuss the Wanderers meeting issue. We are currently analyzing the relevant movements of the other organizations and sending them the results."

"You sure are active, Mei-chan."

"Just the other day, we made our magnificent debut as the new Kotowari Squad and reset my mind to 0. I thought I should also reset how hard I work."

"Does that reset also bring Sawamura and Kimura back to 0?"

"No, only my team got something new added in the registration, so I have determined that only I return my mind to 0. Besides that, Sawamura-san is not on a team and Kimura works as a manager, so she can't afford the luxury of going back to 0."

 **GM Aide:** "Mei..."

 **Manager:** "Rindō-san, please avoid saying anything that will provoke her. I beg you."

"Right, right." Rindō smiled bitterly. "What exactly do you think will happen in the fight between Sei-chan and the Wanderers?"

"We need not speculate when the battle should begin soon. It would be faster to simply watch."

"No, it's fun to make predictions. So who do you think will win?"

"Due to having more on their side and already knowing how our Triggers work, the Wanderers will surely win."

"I thought you'd think that."

Rindō sighed and Mei noticed the teacup still on the tray she held.

"Rindō-san, please have this post-meal tea."

"Oh, right. I'll take it, I'll take it."

"You only need to say it once. Unless you want me to serve you 2 cups."

"I always drink 3 cups total when you're around."

"Making sure the water does not cool is not easy. And more importantly," Mei stood next to Rindō. "You have some kind of doubt concerning the Wanderers' victory."

"Oh, well, I'm not sure if 'doubt' is the word I would use. And I think you know what I'm talking about."

"I cannot know unless you tell me."

"That's right." Rindō got up from the table and rolled up the map he had been looking at. "When Border as an organization was starting out, I went at it with all kinds of Neighbors, but...but on the inside, there was a sense of 'We're pretty strong'."

"So you were borrowing authority in that thought."

"Well, Shinoda, Sei-chan, and the others used it pretty well in negotiations, but that actually tended to restrict us. We had to strike a kind of balance."

However...

"Back then, talk of a large organization and so many people didn't seem real. I mean, as a world that isn't reliant on Trion, we come up with some amazing things."

"You are saying negotiations with the Wanderers is meaningless."

"No, not meaningless. It's going to set a lot in motion, after all. And to be honest, I'm more worried about Sei-chan right now. ...Are you listening, Mei-chan?"

"I am. So tell me why you are worried about Tenryū even though he will be defeated here."

"Right. Well you see, Seidō won't back down even after losing at a time like this. He keeps going. So I'm curious how he views this battle with the Wanderers. Yuki was the same when he fought for the others, right? He were thinking beyond his loss and then took various measures against it."

"You are saying Tenryū will do the same."

"I'm not sure. We got through everything by looking only to the future, but these kinds of people should be looking at the present and then looking to the future."

Rindō looked up at the Tamakoma's ceiling and then forward, to the south.

He nodded, took a sip of the tea, and took a breath.

"Just like us, Yuki, Kimura, and the others have at least partially made it this far due to the bright future ahead of us, but they're going to have to continue forward while accepting the feelings of those who are heading toward the past instead."

He laughed and raised his eyebrows a little.

"So they're holding a meeting in the Yagura Branch Office, are they? I hope everything they see there is both meaningful for the future and enjoyable. Why don't you go join them?"

* * *

Taiyōko Kushikage was stopped in the middle of the street.

It was partially due to her thinking back to the fight she had earlier that day. It was the most fun she had while fighting, minus fighting against Mei and some certain other people.

However, there was a more immediate reason.

A girl around 5 years old was grabbing at her coat.

The girl had heterochromatic eyes.

_...I feel like I've fucking seen her before. Where was it? I think around an annoying as fuck person..._

Shaking her head, the woman turned and looked down at the girl.

"What?"

"(Stop those bad thoughts, please. Using language like that and saying things like those aren't something I like hearing.)" The girl spoke in German while looking up at her.

"Huh?"

Kushikage's eyebrows lowered in a puzzled expression.

It wasn't because she didn't understand what the girl was talking about.

_How the fuck does she know what I'm thinking?_

"(Please, stop using that language!)"

Kushikage was getting fed up with having her coat tugged on, so she decided to censor her language mentally. She felt a little constricted, but thought it was fine since it wasn't like she was around people she knew.

The mysterious mini-girl moved her head to the left and the right slowly as the girl behind her looked at her with a bit of awe.

"(Okay, okay! I can focus on finding him now! Those dirty thoughts were too distracting!)"

_Is it some kind of Side Effect like Yūichi?_

Not bothering to think about it anymore, she changed her thoughts again.

"(…That's an amazing coat you have there. Woah, what's this? It's covered in thick fur.)" She changed her language so that the little girl could understand her.

"(It was given to me as a present from this guy that has his left eye covered. But your coat looks pretty warm, too.)"

Michelle had grabbed the edge of Kushikage's skirt along with the coat and she was swinging them up and down like flapping wings.

She then realized something.

"(But your underwear looks chilly!)"

"(That's because they're see-through. Being in charge of the sexy side of things has its hardships.)"

After that odd back and forth, the two parted ways.

Kushikage couldn't help but to wonder who the girl was. Now that she thought about it, that girl had made no sense. Her thoughts were not in German, so she didn't get how the girl understood her. The girl had looked at her underwear after getting on her case about bad language.

"Heh. I like her. Hope to see her more often."

As she started for her destination once more, a grin came to her face.

"For now... I need to see that fucking fight~"

* * *

Behind him, Seidō knew there was the large Border building with others monitoring him from that building.

Seidō was currently traveling through the Forbidden Zone. It was the area in the middle of Mikado City and a dangerous place.

The non-glowing Radar he opened in front of his face showed him what was ahead of his path and where he wanted to go.

The main ship of the Neighbors calling themselves Wanderers.

He had heard that Yagura Branch's Director Akasora had gone there. He had bizarrely gone alone with no bodyguard whatsoever, but there was a dangerous rumor surrounding his actions.

He supposedly wanted to meet with the Wanderers and to talk to them about Seidō himself.

And Seidō had decided to escape his confinement to go there. Seeing what the discussion would be about was only natural for someone who was the topic of discussion, but things were different when his friend was the one doing it.

He had decided to punish the Yagura Branch's director and to take his own punishment afterwards.

And...

"I don't want to add any more negative thoughts about me from my own child, you asshole!"

So he would strike at his friend who showed his intent to interfere with the punishment. And he would take said punishment afterwards.

It was simple.

But someone else was trying to interfere with that simplicity.

"Do you intended to get in my way, old man from this Neighbor group?"

"To be honest, I don't. I just can't stand people who think they own what isn't theirs."

The voice came from the center of the path he was taking. The dark figure wielded a pole.

He spread his arms to protect the large door leading to the Neighbor ship behind him and his mouth split left and right in a smile.

"Ha ha. There is also the fact that our leader is rash. ...Every last person we have met has searched through some depths of different worlds and vaguely realized a truth. He is only the most recent one to do so. But..."

But...

"Any previous guesses are most likely correct. ...We do more than simple wander around worlds. We seek help from those worlds and we find truths that shouldn't be found. Some such thing is a 'cancer' that has been created. What can she bring? It is probably 'happiness'. It is probably 'salvation'. It is probably 'hypocrisy'. No..."

"What do you mean, no?"

Seidō asked back as he charged across the Forbidden Zone and Hatomi answered him.

"It was all an undeniable 'deadly sin'!"

.

A moment later, Seidō saw something.

In the darkness, the starlight shone down on them and other outdoor lights shined on away from them.

"It's time you felt the restriction of the Wanderers' Vice Captain, the keeper of the prison."

A wall came up before a tiger appeared in the entire space behind Hatomi.

As Seidō ran head on, it looked like wings.

But it was not.

"...Arms!?"

"As the always second-in-command, I have taken up the Wanderers' - previously only - Black Trigger to use these as cages. I have the arms and thoughts of those who wished to assist us even in death."

There were more than 1000 of them. And they were all one of two colors.

"Those who wished to be preserved after death turned yellow from the change to their bodily fluids, as such, I recreated that same yellow coloring here. Those that wished to be modified turned black as their blood congealed, represented by this very Black Trigger. When they are lined up in this pattern, people start to call it Tígri Fterá, but I prefer another name: Ypókosmos, Blessing from the Afterlife."

In the darkness, the trion arms all held weapons or were unarmed.

"Pierce him."

Four digits' worth of slashes and blows collided with Seidō as a booming roar.

.

Hatomi watched the attack he had sent out.

The ground was shattered, the area were torn apart, and beyond the 1000+ arms that he slowly pulled back...

"Oh?"

Seidō was still standing. His hair swayed in front of his eyes and his clothes had been torn, coat and all, but...

"Can you use your movement to pull off the ideal movement?"

"Even with my age, I am still inexperienced, so it's only a crude attempt."

 _I see,_ thought Hatomi. Experts would control their own speed in battle to make the ideal movements, but there was more than one way to do so. Some used martial arts and others made miniscule movements linked to their sense of sight or hearing.

To put it another way, no special technique was needed. If someone focused on their own movements and truly mastered them, they would eventually reach that level. But...

"You must have had quite an excellent teacher. It is rare indeed for someone at your age to pull off even a crude first step toward the ideal."

"...My teacher is no longer with me."

"Is that so?"

It was unclear if that was due to death or a simple parting of ways, but Hatomi had no intention of asking for clarification. Instead...

"Were you loved?"

"Enough to have a child of my own."

"Understood," replied Hatomi to wish peace on that soul.

"Then I'll go with this."

Hatomi activated attack commands with all 1000+ arms of Ypókosmos.

He used wide-range, straight-line, projectile, and permeating attacks all at once to leave no ideal move to take.

"This unavoidable attack is known as Ypókosmos Férnontas ...Ohh, and now I'm laughing at the name I gave it as a joke."

It scored a direct hit.

.

Hatomi saw it happen.

Immense power was slammed into a single enemy in the form of flapping wings. It was extremely large even for the Ypókosmos technique.

But Seidō moved at the center of it all. He simply held his weapon's flat sword end forward, and...

"I just need to fall! Shikifuku!"

With those words, a glow started to appear. A yellow shield appeared in front of Seidō. The attack hit the shield, seeming to bounce off of it. Before it could go back to the attacker, another yellow shield appeared, making the attack bounce back once more. This process continued as more yellow shields formed and compacted until it was in the shape of a new sword.

_...The power is vanishing?_

The attack continued to bounce around as it collided with the yellow shields. But it was not erased. The intensity, the power, the gravity, the light, and everything else were...

"Stored!?"

"Right. This is the power of the defensive part of the Black Trigger named Shikifuku!"

The power was devoured and torn apart. Beyond it, Seidō was nearly blown away by the portion of the power that escaped to the sides or above.

But he narrowed his eyes and spoke two words:

"Yasakani Shikifuku."

Ypókosmos grew beyond a simple impact and peaked as something more like an explosion, but Seidō accelerated toward Hatomi. This was more than just taking one step at a time. That man could make the ideal movements, so he made definite progress that built up a smooth momentum in a straight line.

"...Fall!"

He fell forward.

So Hatomi also moved. He had Ypókosmos flap and gather together.

"I see...!" The corners of his mouth rose in a smile. He raised his staff on the right to intercept the man.

"It's just as that Miden man said! So this is one of Black Triggers and someone who can wield it best! I can see why he wants you to join us!"

Immediately, all of Ypókosmos's power exploded and the two weapons clashed.

.

Seidō realized in an instant that the world had fallen from light to darkness.

Ypókosmos's explosion had ended and darkness had returned to the area.

He stood on the right side of the ship behind Hatomi. He was crouched down on the ship's surface storing up his strength for a leap.

The area was filled with heat and dense wind.

And Hatomi turned back toward him.

There was a black line running from the center of his chest to his left collarbone. It had been torn, not cut. That was the mark from Shikifuku's closed tip piercing him diagonally.

Normally a person would have released a spray of blood and died from shock after their blood pressure plummeted.

But in a trion body, things were different. He was not bleeding, or even losing trion; he merely looked down at the black wound, and...

"The weak points of this false body are the head and heart. That is true for the real body as well, so attack there and you win. I don't believe there is a single fighter who does not understand that."

Of course...

"This Black Trigger won't let you do so easily."

Seidō nodded and dropped down with Shikifuku. He was targeting the points Hatomi indicated.

Seidō thought that anyone who was obedient to battle would respond to an enemy's request to target them. Especially when their life was hanging in the balance.

After all...

_...The battlefield is where hopes are fulfilled._

When the battle ended, the victor's hope would of course be fulfilled. So Seidō had wanted the battlefield to be a pure place. He wanted it to be a place that held nothing more than everyone's hopes.

But that was a long time ago.

The air here had been scorched and frozen and the area was filled with wind, but it was being washed clean by a great power.

"!"

By the time his feet landed, he was half a step closer.

He wanted to take two more steps and move to the best of his ability in order to fulfill his and his opponent's hopes, but his speed rejected that. The moment was pure, so his speed told him to hurry up and end it.

And so he took another step and directed an attack toward Hatomi that slipped past even the wind resistance.

But at that very moment.

"Sorry."

A voice reached him from the side and his pure attack was deflected with a loud clang.

.

Hatomi looked to the person standing in front of him.

It was a tall man wearing a track suit with a Yagura Branch emblem on it.

He had intervened in Seidō's speed and deflected his shield's tip with his sword. He was...

"Chishi...!"

"Sorry."

He repeated that word, but his apology was not directed at Hatomi.

He was speaking to Seidō who had tried to attack him.

"Things have already been settled, Seidō."

* * *

"...So it's settled then."

Rhinoceros Beetle 07 - now having taken up the name Pyrínas - looked at the screen in front of him.

The screen showed the three men by the Wanderers' ship. He could hear what they were saying and he saw the fight that had just happened.

"...For that man to be able to handle Hatomi's Ypókosmos when it is the first time he has seen it... ...That is really amazing."

Two weights pressed down on his sides as two bodies leaned in on him. Both bodies were extremely small compared to his large stature, making him feel as if he needed to be careful around them.

Especially since...

"...Stepney. ...Mitsubachi."

They were two of the three children who had saved him.

"Is it here?"

"No, no, no! We seriously put it over here!"

"We should just wait for Michelle to get here."

The two bodies lifted Pyrínas's shirt before putting their heads inside. They started to moved around, poking and probing his body.

As an Autonomous Trion Soldier he felt no need to stop them. What they were doing was fine since they had been the ones to assist him in gaining his current body. But...

"...May I ask what you two are doing?"

One of the two lumps in his shirt answered him while poking at his back.

"We are looking for the emblem. The one we put on you. Unless...you took it off."

Even with an ego of his own now, Pyrínas could not fully bring himself to be saddened by the tone of the small boy who was speaking.

Instead of answering with reassurance, he explained himself while slowly taking off his clothes. The children seemed to have noticed this as they started to get out from under his shirt.

"...You three saved me today and even went so far as to say I am fine being one of you. ...I would never get rid of that."

With a full view of the Autonomous Trion Soldier, the two children were able to see all that they had drawn on him while he had spent his time as a beetle. Every things they had drawn was on his body like a tattoo.

"Oh my. Those are from these children? Mitsubachi-chan, it is not nice to be drawing on other people. Have you apologized to this man yet?"

"...There is no need for that. ...While it is a bit...unfortunate that they used permanent marker to draw on me, it really is no issue since I can change my body due to being a trion soldier."

"You need to forgive us for only seeing this as a human side of things. Our children may be a part of Border, but we don't know too much about it."

"...That is also true. ...I will keep that in mind the next time I bring anything like that up again."

Pyrínas lowered his head towards the two women who were sitting at a table a bit away from him and the two children who had decided to hang off of his shoulders.

Even after being told that he was a trion soldier, a part of the original being that helped to test this world, and use to be a rhinoceros beetle, the two women had no issue with him playing with the children.

The two children had introduced him as their friend, stating that their other friend would be coming by soon, and the two women had taken that for what it was. It was only after them asking about him did he answer honestly.

"Pyrínas-san, since we do not understand fully what is going on, would you be kind enough to truly tell us what is happening? As someone who keeps in contact with Akasora-kun and who knows of Tenryū-san, this would truly be appreciated."

"...'-san'... ...That is how formalities go over here, right? ...In that case, you do not need to be formal with me. ...That kind of kindness should be directed towards organic organisms."

"What a wonderful response! Hey, hey, Kasumi-chan, what do you think?"

"It was refreshing to hear that from someone as young as him. Even so, Seihana-san, you don't need get so happy about that."

"...I suppose I did reset myself to only a few hours old since I am no longer a part of the Pyrínas System..."

.

Mitsubachi listened in as her mother and her mother's friend spoke to Pyrínas.

She wanted Pyrínas' attention on her and Stepney, but she also knew not to interrupt when adults are talking. Instead, she settled for sharing the trion soldier's lap with Stepney as they watched the screen Pyrínas had put in front of them.

"Hey, hey, hey, Step! Do you seriously know who those guys are? They seem really important."

"I don't-... Um, I mean... I do not know who they are. But that man-... I-I mean gentleman-"

"Stop talking like that! It's really, seriously annoying! I want you to talk how you want to talk."

"B-but my parents-"

"Bleh! They aren't here, so you don't need to talk like they do! You say whatever you want to say! My sister always says whatever she wants and she seriously never seems sad when she does!"

"My brother is the same way..."

Stepney tightened his fist and lips before nodding.

"Okay. I will try to speak how I want to speak."

"Yay! And if your parents try anything, we have Pie-chan here to help out! And my mom will also help us out!"

The two children blinked a few times when they felt a weight on their heads.

They looked up to see Pyrínas looking towards the two mothers with his hands on their heads. It seemed as if he was also listening to their conversation and wanted to comfort them after hearing their words.

"Alright! Back to what we were saying! Do you seriously know that guy or something?"

"My brother told me about his teacher and that man looks like what was told to me. A-A-Ako-"

"...'Akasora'."

"Thank you, Pyrínas. Um, yeah, Mr. Akasora. He use to be my brother's school teacher but is now a part of Border. That's all I know though."

"Wooooooow~! So he's-"

Before Mitsubachi could finish her sentence, a knock on the door was heard.

Without waiting at all, Mitsubachi sprung up and went for the door. The sound of her mother's laugh could be heard, but she chose to ignore that in favor of seeing who it was.

When she opened the door...

"Michelle-chan!"

.

Pyrínas looked towards the door, along with the other three occupants of the room, and saw Mitsubachi run back in, holding the hand of another small, heterochromatic girl.

Without a word, she pulled the girl over so that the two of them, along with Stepney, were sitting in Pyrínas's lap.

"Mitsubachi-chan, is that your other friend?"

There was no reason to care about the fact that Mitsubachi was constantly moving from his lap. Pyrínas knew that and so said nothing as she did so to introduce Michelle to her mother.

What held more priority was what was happening on the screen in front of him.

What they were all seeing was not being broadcasted on television or even seen by anyone else. The visuals that were coming through was because of his status as "Pyrínas" and nothing more.

Even so...

_...Presence concealment. ...Not from radars of any kind. ...Whoever that is, they are getting rid of their entire being just so that they will not be spotted. ...Who could that be?_

He did not want to be associated with the original being that had gone by the name Pyrínas, but he wanted to know who was currently close by but could not be seen.

The first thing to figure out was if one if the children could notice. To be more specific...

"(...Michelle. ...Can you please use your Side... ...Besides us, is are there any other thoughts that are coming through?)"

"(No. I don't hear anything else. Is there suppose to be someone else?)"

He shook his head towards the questioning girl.

Due to his knowledge of the girl's Side Effect, he was using a small portion of the Pyrínas System that he could never get rid of to make it seem like his thoughts were different from what they actually were.

His current thoughts were far from the girl while his secondary thoughts were the closest to her. It was not something he was pleased about doing, but there was still a portion that would not let him have his mind read by anyone else.

_...I should apologize later. ...For now, I should try to find out who it is that is currently watching us._

A second function built in to him was communication through other Trion-made objects. That included any Trion Bodies made.

" _...If you can hear me, which you should be able to, identify yourself. ...Your presence concealment was top tier, but you chose not to hide yourself from a simple radar."_

It took a few seconds before a response came.

The voice was familiar.

" _...Tenryū Shokubutsu... ...Yuki-san asked me...to look out...for that girl...while he and the others...are busy... ...I am...sorry...for alarming you..."_

It was the boy from the next city over that he had met through a different body.

He seemed to be of no threat, yet there were still some worries that came up when thought about for a moment.

Why did he not show himself?

_...There is no reason to be hiding if he knows who I am and he has to watch over Michelle._

How could he completely hide his own presence?

_...Every person gives off some indication of their own existence. ...I believe people call it a "feeling" that they get when someone else is around. ...I felt nothing from him, but that can be expected since I do not have "feeling". ...Even so, no one else could tell that he was there. ...And..._

How could Michelle not read his thoughts?

_...Her Side Effect seems to be indiscriminate. ...Even if proximity was an issue, he seems to be close enough that it should not truly be an issue. ...She was facing his direction as well, yet she says that there is no one else._

"Pyrínas-kun?"

There was no longer time to think about the boy if he was being directly spoken to by someone else. His current thoughts and his secondary thoughts were only meant to prevent Michelle from worrying, not to have a conversation.

The boy posed no threat to anyone there, so there was no real priority in questioning him. All Pyrínas could do was accept that the boy would continue to watch from a distance and choose not to interact with others.

.

Pyrínas looked towards Seihana with a stoic expression.

"...Yes?"

"I truly apologize for the interruption. If you would like, could you please continue your explanation of the current state of things?"

"...Of course. ...Please remember that what I am going to say may not be completely accurate and is technically from a second-hand source."

While it may have seemed rude, Pyrínas turned back towards the screen. It was the best way he could explain while making sure everything he was saying was accurate.

"...Now then..."

* * *

"So while we're trying to prepare for our dealings with the meeting, Tenryū and the Wanderers have already clashed."

Kimura sighed in the Yagura Branch Room now that Ōji, Inukai, Oshiro, and Narasak had joined them.

_...I'm not really sure what Tenryū-san and the Wanderers are thinking._

"Does this mean the Wanderers are looking several steps ahead to prepare for the post-meeting period?"

If they were preserving themselves as well as Tenryū Seidō...

"This could be trouble."

Kimura started to fall into thought, but she somehow managed to keep her gaze focused.

And she saw Narasaka raise his right forearm.

"Is it really a problem if the Neighbors and Tenryū have preserved their strength going into what comes next? Some of you and them are on friendly terms, aren't you? ...Do you think they'll betray you?"

"You have a point. It's being optimistic, but the Wanderers don't seem like the type for that kind of deceit. Especially after what we have heard from unnamed sources. They won't allow it on a personal level and their pride seems to stop them from allowing it on an official level, if this skirmish is anything to go by."

"That's right," said Suzaku. "The Black Triggers and armies choose who to have with them. If they chose to abandon their pride by doing something against themselves, they might lose the ability to use those weapons."

"But, Umi, we need them to cooperate using those things."

The idiot pointed out something troublesome by way of Suzaku.

But he was right and there was important meaning there.

_...Using those Black Triggers as negotiation fodder is one option available to the Wanderers._

They had just shown what other Black Trigger they had and what it could do, meaning they were putting Border in their debt by showing the power difference.

"That would give them an excuse to turn on us during other battles..."

 _I'm probably overthinking it,_ thought Kimura. But there was no point in being overly optimistic, so...

"Akashi-san, give me an answer."

"...Are you serious!? You don't hold back, do you!?"

_What are you talking about? And are you that happy that someone's paying attention to you?_

But he was the only one to ask.

"If these Neighbors were going to betray us, why would they do it?"

"Obviously it would be for a major victory that set them up as the ultimate victors."

Akashi answered without delay.

"Listen," he said with his hands on his hips. "They would win with a fighting force overwhelmingly more powerful than anyone or anywhere else. And not just in a short-term fight. They would win the long-term conflicts with Neighbors worlds and any of their own squabbles. ...Listen. I'm talking about being the ultimate victors, enough that they can ensure that no more wars are fought on Earth! If they can do that and they don't need their pride and Black Triggers to do it, then they can easily abandon using those things. After all, if everyone else has been badly beaten, then they don't even need weapons like that. So..."

So...

"For now, they are preserving everything they have while gathering new tactics and a new display of power. That fits perfectly with a desire to be the ultimate victors. That is why I propose we form a definite alliance with these Neighbors. Then our single peace can stop these Neighbors' 'what if' scenario." He took a breath. "What a simple question. ...I kind of wish you had a harder one for me to answer. Do you, Hogo Manager Kimura-kun?"

.

"No, that was sufficient."

 _He sure is fired up,_ thought Kimura just before she heard the wind blowing overhead. Then Nakagami's voice echoed through the air.

"Everyone, a flying Neighbor is approaching from overhead. It is giving an ID signal. It belongs to..."

_...A Neighbor with an ID signal...?_

_That's weird,_ thought Kimura as the answer was given.

"The Wanderers! The Neighbor belong to those weirdos! Got it!?"

.

Immediately afterwards, someone jumped down from the wind overhead.

Once the entire group was outside and in front of the branch office, the Ōji Squad duo and Kanzaki stepped forward to face someone of medium build.

"Excuse me! I am the Wanderers leader Futoyuki!"

The leader of Wanderers inhaled and stared sharply at them.

"I'm sorryyyyy! It wasn't meant as an attack, so please let me be friends with Mideeeeeen!"

* * *

"So those Neighbors went to Yagura saying they want to be friends!?"

In the depths of the night and in a Border owned building by a river, a form raised her voice with her hair falling down her face a bit.

She stood in the kitchen of Tamakoma Branch's office. The girl's clothes were casual with nothing particular being special about them and she looked down in front of the counter.

She placed her phone on the counter and it held its position. Also...

"What are they planning on doing?"

Konami spoke to the girl who was a few feet away whose glasses were stightened on her head. That girl, Usami, placed a hand on her chin and spoke with a note of thought in her voice.

"I'm not too sure."

"Why not?"

"It was apparently the Wanderers' leader and the one Jin-san took on who went to Yagura for this. It was not someone else belonging to them."

More people voiced their understanding on the chat provided by Border's network.

 **Gummy:** "Besides the one he rode on, there doesn't seem to be any other Neighbors around. That means he's relatively defenseless. There isn't even a sign of a Black Trigger or any other kind of Trigger on him."

 **Mi-Kon:** "Does that mean they are trying to make themselves seem more vulnerable so they could join us?"

 **Gummy:** "That seems to be part of it. Besides, the Wanderers, what they like to call themselves apparently, stated that they did not mean to attack us, so there is always a chance something can change..."

Had Futoyuki approached the Yagura Branch to demonstrate that he was not their enemy even if it seemed like he was? But what bothered her was...

 **8 Skies:** "Umm, what are they going to do?"

.

Konami just about said something in response to Sora.

The people at the Yagura Branch office were apparently trying to figure out how to respond to Futoyuki's sudden entrance. They would probably come up with something, but for now...

_...What are they going to do?_

She could only tell him to wait until they got to a point. But...

 **Gummy:** "Ah ha ha. Hachi-kun, wanna come have eat with us? Fubuki-chan and I will feed you together."

 **Platinum:** "Aya, don't say that. When we've done that to Sora lately, he reacts like a girl despite having a guy's body, so it makes me want to upload it to a video site."

 **8 Skies:** "Wh-why do you always try to treat me like a child!?"

_...Wait._

**Red Picture:** "What have you 3 been doing?"

 **8 Skies:** "I-I haven't done anything! I just have things done to me!"

 _How is that any different?_ wondered Konami.

 **Bookkeeper:** "You three are disturbing the public morals. You need to do better."

 **8 Skies:** "Yes, sir..."

It was somewhat worrying that only Sora responded.

But he uttered an "ah" soon thereafter.

 **8 Skies:** "And that hasn't just happened here! All of you need to realize I don't go when it is just you girls out of concern for all of you! Due to some limitations and space, I usually try to go last!"

"Yeah," said Konami while placing a hand on her forehead.

 **Red Picture:** "That's true. And we are often running late due to our own stuff..."

 **Platinum:** "No. I do it intentionally because he is fun to mess with."

 _Umm,_ breathed Konami as she thought Sora would groan because of that.

_I should to bring this conversation back on track._

With this and what happened before, Sora had to have taken a lot of psychological damage today. She had to help cheer him up before he planned out what to do if he was asked for help.

So she spoke up to prepare things for that:

 **Red Picture:** "Sora, I feel bad that you have to work so hard not to look at us when that happens."

 **8 Skies:** "...You noticed?"

 **Red Picture:** "Yeah. ...I guess it isn't fun when we stop you from being moved to tears when reading a shoujo manga on your free time, hum as you lightly kick your feet while on a stool, and go 'nn' as you start eating using only spoons."

 **8 Skies:** "That's even worse than before! Way worse!"

 **Gummy:** "Wait, why do you eat only using a spoon? Why not use a fork and knife?"

 **8 Skies:** "Someone keeps taking mine whenever I go for it! I don't know who it is, though!"

 **Light Body:** "Huh, huh? I thought...those were always extras. Were they not?"

 **8 Skies:** "No, they're not! They were mine! Besides that, I usually get stuck between people like Misaki-san and Shirogane-chan, so I end up getting teased a lot! Even Kunichika-senpai is not the best! I can't even leave since it would be rude and they never let me leave!"

 **Platinum:** "Yeah, being trapped between those giant tits would be pretty deadly..."

 **Red Picture:** "Even if you don't want to look, I don't think you should just stare at your food the whole time everyone is having fun."

 **Light Body:** "Right, right. It's okay, Hachidori-kun. If you have any dirty thoughts, I'll use a purification to temporarily castrate you. If you ever need something, just tell me. Although I do wonder why they usually bring me along as well..."

 **8 Skies:** "I don't get any rights, do I!?"

"Calm down," sent Konami.

 **Red Picture:** "We can fix any seating arrangements next time. Pretty sure you get top priority on the matter since none of us want Noah to be on our case. Now, about what's going on at Yagura..."

Sora responded to her words.

 **8 Skies:** "Oh, right. The shrine maiden that's there is killing time by speaking with me for some reason."

.

When Yagura and the Wanderers began speaking, Sora was receiving advice from Yagura's normal shrine maiden.

"That's right. The girls I know never, ever see me as a guy."

"Oh, dear. Then do you want them to see you as a guy, Hachidori-kun? Romantically, I mean?"

"Eh? Oh, no, I didn't mean it like that. Um, how should I put it?"

He appreciated how she would nod and wait for him to continue. She gave him time to think without pressuring him to speak.

Acting as a male Operator had taught him something: a lot of people would pretend to understand what he was saying while actually using clever words to guide him toward a certain opinion or toward agreement.

_...Some people would have phrased that earlier question as "So you want them to see you as a guy, don't you?"_

They would pretend to understand while seeking agreement and trying to force everything to follow what they wanted.

They placed their conversational partner in their own framework and then forced that partner to follow that.

This shrine maiden was lewd, but she did not say things like that.

She asked questions to learn what he thought. So when he said...

"I think I do want them to treat me like a guy."

She responded...

"And what do you mean by treating you like a guy?"

She did not decide for him what that meant and she did not simply parrot back the phrase as if what it meant did not matter.

She urged him on and focused on his opinion in order to bring their thoughts closer together.

It almost felt like facing a mirror.

And so...

"Well..."

He thought about something he had only had a vague idea about. And...

"Hachidori-kun? Boys and girls are different, but asking people to change how they treat you because of that can be a difficult thing, so be careful. And it seems the girls around you aren't the type to change how they treat you, but do you know why that is?"

"Well..."

Once she said that, he caught on.

"Because emphasizing that I'm a guy wouldn't mean much..."

"Why not?"

"Um, because I'm not very manly."

"Have you ever tried crossdressing or been forced to?"

"I-I will become more manly!"

"Oh, so you have."

"I-it was a long time ago! And only because none of the boy's equipment fit me..."

Sora blushed when she giggled in a husky voice.

He could tell he had said too much and made her laugh at him.

* * *

 **Umi:** **"** W-wait, Jinsei! Why are you beginning a Shinto counseling session!? From what Shintai has told me, you're not licensed!"

 **Haru:** "That's the problem with this?"

 **Life:** "What are you talking about, Umi-chan? How can the lewd shrine maiden of a shrine ignore this boy's youthful worries!? Just leave it to me. If he's troubled because he gets mistaken for a girl, then it's only logical for a crossdresser to give him advice, right?"

 **Honest Sister:** "Heh heh. That's honestly right, foolish man! Win his heart with your crossdresser's charm!"

 **TetsuG:** "Is this a new genre?"

 **Honest Sister:** "Since it's with one of the male Operators I can wait until the pre-festival event."

 **#5 Mountain:** "But, Kirikari-kun! That is some excellent counseling!"

 **Manager:** "Stop doing unauthorized stupidity!"

.

"Honestly..."

While the crossdresser was wasting time by talking with Sora, Kimura had to figure out what to do with the person standing in front of her.

_...Futoyuki, hm?_

They had dealt with the Neighbors during the day already. And this was the leader of said Neighbors who called themselves Wanderers.

He was fairly tall and not exactly bad looking, but there was a certain confidence in his actions.

 **Iko:** "He seems like a weirdo to me."

 **Bamboo Sniper:** "His line when he appeared was certainly weird. Oh, Ikoma Squad's Shooter, your captain is answering again, so take care of it. A repeat of the sponsors wouldn't be favorable."

 **Shōgi Boy:** "Narasaka... Do you have any thoughts on this matter? Your views of Neighbors is unfavorable, but it shouldn't be as bad as Miwa's."

 **Bamboo Sniper:** "Unfortunately, I really am not the best to ask since I'm not on a neutral ground with this subject. ...But I do know one thing."

Which was...

 **Bamboo Sniper:** "Most likely, these guys have a lot of experience with gaining allies on their side. They also have a lot of confidence in themselves since only their leader came out here to see us with almost no protection around him. It can seem like we can just take him and interrogate him, but that can also end badly if what we've seen today is anything to go by. Even the fight between them and that man showed just how strong they really are. We could feel the quaking from over here after all.

 **Secretary:** "So this leader is not the smartest, but has a lot of faith in what he has built up."

"That's right," said Narasaka and Kimura nodded in agreement.

_...I see._

The Wanderers had a chance to later become a link to others in the Neighborhood. Their leader and most likely main fighter, representative of the side that would try to ally with them, had paid them an emergency visit and there was no sign of movement from the side that could turn against them.

Futoyuki's appearance was disrespectful to his own position.

But it also indicated a certain fact:

 **Manager:** "The Wanderers are looking beyond today and have already decided on how to help both sides."

 **Secretary:** "It would seem so. I'm sure they are use to joining one side after another side's destruction, but then join a completely different side at certain battles after some deaths. But they might ultimately oppose those sides and also oppose others due to other alliances. And after that side with a new group, they might reconcile with the first group and finally join them. ...Then they can split up however they want!"

 **Demon Child:** "What is with all that back and forth, betrayal and reunion? It sounds like melodramatic fanfiction."

Kimura placed a hand on her forehead and thought.

_...This is troublesome._

After all...

"From what we could gather, most of them seem to listen to that old man more than this guy. That means this guy who is their leader wouldn't be here to apologize for their misconduct during the day. And even if he was, it would mean that he is treated more like a gofer and he wouldn't be a very valuable ally to keep around."

Thus...

"This Neighbor leader came here of his own free will. If not, he is not even worth speaking with. That about sums it up, I believe."

"Um, Kimura?"

Murakami smiled her way, but Kimura had no idea why.

"What is it, Murakami-san?"

"Right. You were saying all that out loud."

She checked down in her arms and saw Krümel nodding off. The way he would sometimes start to fall out and quickly right himself was quite cute, but that was why she lost focus and stopped messaging through the chat.

 _That isn't good,_ she thought as she looked forward to see Futoyuki looking at her.

 _This really isn't good,_ she thought again. And on the Border chat:

"This isn't good. I let out too much of my honest thoughts there."

"You haven't entered the chat!" cut in Murakami. "You're really saying it! Hurry up and rouse that dog!"

"But I'd feel bad forcing him to wake up. He's all tuckered out. He was working hard throughout that entire battle."

Murakami stepped back and formed a quick scrum with the others. After a while, Kon left the scrum and faced Kimura. The female Operator spoke with her usual calm voice.

"Right. ...We will just keep going like this."

"Kon! Kon! I thought we just decided to apologize even if we didn't really mean it!"

Suzaku was saying too much as well.

But then someone else joined the conversation: Karasawa.

 **Rugby Man:** "Hogo Manager. If we can get those wanderers to join us here, it will benefit us in 2 ways. You have clearance for this by a vote from the directors, so don't worry about getting in trouble."

* * *

Inside the lit Border base, people sat with their attention focused on the meeting happening in front of the Yagura branch's office. They had received advanced warning of the sudden meeting, so the directors had started to discuss what to do.

Karasawa, the rest of the directors, and some squad captains continued to pay attention to the feed they were being fed by one of the agents near the meeting. Shinoda and Jin had been exchanging words via eye contact, but he easily heard some of the others speaking out loud.

"Ah, ah~ That landing might have rattled off some pron games hidden in that building."

"Wait, where did that shudo doujinshi tilted Shingen-sama's Mass Multiplication III fall out of!?"

"How the hell could you tell the name from just this feed?"

Netsuki had opened a notepad to write up the morals violations they were all hearing, so that would be dealt with in due time. But for now...

 **Manager:** "Karasawa-san, what are the 2 ways accepting the Wanderers will benefit us?"

 **Rugby Man:** "Right. The first is that we can gain information about Neighbor worlds by having people who only travel around. Even if it is only in name, this boy in front of you is their current leader. His movements support will support any resolution they come to or give us enough reason to go into a good resolution."

 _That would be the biggest benefit for our own world at the moment,_ thought Karasawa.

But there was another benefit from another point of view.

 **Rugby Man:** "We can eliminate the threat of more attacks on us."

.

Kinuta mentally agreed with Karasawa as he looked at what was being put down.

_...That is indeed important._

The threat of attacks to which he referred was something that would always be in their mind after having been attacked by Aftokrator already.

 **Kinuta:** "That old man we saw can be seen as the true commander of these Neighbors and he gave a man like Tenryū trouble only moments ago and could have done that to us before. About earlier in the day in particular, we could have actually suffered some great losses if he had entered the fray and been on the offense."

 **Secretary:** "Exactly. They are a dangerous enemy for us."

The secretary-like boy said more.

 **Secretary:** "As I said before, there is a chance they like hopping back and forth between various powerful people whenever they have the chance, but we have no records of ever encountering them during our expeditions. We can't have them attacking us with others each time just because we rejected them. So if this Futoyuki person wants to side with us here, we can use his authority as leader to get around having to deal with anyone attacking us because of them. If we do that, it would save us from a lot of trouble."

 **Du-Sis:** "It makes sense, but it sure is cowardly."

 **Secretary:** "Not all of us have an idiotic brother who we try (and fail) to impress!"

 **Almost Everyone:** "For once, I agree with him..."

Kinuta also agreed.

_...It is indeed cowardly, but it also makes sense._

The Wanderers were a small group. Their personal was also small and was supposedly composed of only a few people there. Everything else seemed to do sit of Trion Soldiers made by that small group. Even if some of those Trion Soldiers seemed as qualified as some of their own A-Rank agents.

They had little idea on how their Triggers worked or if any of them even had any Side Effects they could use. It was hard to figure out when the fights that had broken out were more direct and with agents who were difficult to deal with.

That group was telling everyone to take this offer if they wanted any information.

"Hey, lets provide the information we do have. But..."

Kinuta spoke to the other directors who were seated around him.

"This relationship with these Neighbors will likely be really troublesome.

* * *

Kimura sent back some words of thanks when she received information on the Wanderers from the directors and Jin.

Krümel was still fast asleep in her arms, so Suzaku had put together an easy way for her messages to be made while the dog slept.

At any rate, she had one thing to think about.

_...I think it would strengthen Border to bring these wanderers under our command._

That would provide them with more backing from Neighbors than what little they were getting from Senzai Squad.

So she spoke to Futoyuki who stood in front of her.

"Futoyuki-san, should I interpret this as a request to join Border?"

Futoyuki nodded. In fact, he did so a second and third time. Then he opened his mouth to produce a somewhat hoarse voice and got down on one knee.

"Yeah! I visited here today to start down a connecting path with Miden as soon as possible!"

"I see."

Kimura sat down to put herself on eye level with Futoyuki and she opened her mouth.

"...We reject your offer."

.

 _We need to deal with the Wanderers quickly,_ thought Kimura.

She glanced over at the idiot jiggling his fake boobs and wiggling his butt while talking to Sora.

"Um, Wanderers Leader."

"Yes, what is it!?"

Leader Futoyuki's tone grew rough and he stood up. She remained sitting, but he did not look down at her and instead tilted his head.

"Why would you reject my offer!?"

 _This is probably more about being angry than strong willed,_ thought Kimura. _He isn't looking down on me and he actually knows how to calmly stop himself,_ she added.

_...He can negotiate._

Understanding that, Kimura lightly swept her right hand outwards.

She gestured toward Kanzaki behind her.

She then heard the girl lower Kōgetsu.

They had no intention to attack and this man would be able to realize what that meant. So Kimura opened her mouth to tell him something.

"If we were to accept your request, your life would be at risk."

"—"

After seeing him fall silent at the word "life", Kimura continued.

"Currently, Border is on the verge of losing its backing from this world due to a former Neighbor attack. Do you know what that means?"

"You mean...you won't be able to perform as well as usual?"

"That's right," she replied while looking back at him.

He looked her right back in the eye.

_...I see._

"You don't want to die, do you?"

"Of course not!"

That was likely true. But within their network, there was a chance they would be overpowered by others. After all, it would take an impressive force to reject an offer of a whole army made of Trion Soldiers, even if it could be beneficial.

So she knew their leader's status was in name mostly.

The Wanderers were preparing themselves for multiple connections and rejections, so he had essentially been trying to solidify a bond.

Yet right now he had no real power and nothing to defend himself.

But there was also their own people to think about as a powerful presence in the world. Humans would be against this choice and could use him by capturing him.

And so he would not want to be captured or killed.

_...So ensuring his safety will be the first step in negotiation with him._

Kimura felt like she had found one of the bargaining chips to use with him.

"So do you want to leave your group and come here because you don't want to be rejected or be captured by other Neighbors?"

But Futoyuki reacted to that in a surprising way.

"..."

He avoided answering.

.

Murakami watched Futoyuki's silence.

_...Eh? Why isn't he answering?_

He had a simple reason for his confusion.

_...I mean, when Kimura asked him if he didn't want to die, he said "of course not"..._

And yet he fell silent when asked if he wants to leave the Wanderers for a similar reason.

"...?"

When he gave him a questioning glance, he remained silent.

But he was not entirely motionless. He would occasionally twist his lips and look down awkwardly as if he wanted to say something.

It looked like he really wanted to say something about Kimura's question.

But he remained silent.

_...Why? He risked his life coming here, didn't he?_

And as he thought that, he heard someone else speak.

The crossdresser said something with his back turned while he gave advice and wiggled his hips while speaking with Sora.

 **Life:** "That guy's pretty strong."

.

When he saw that, Murakami finally understood.

_...Ah._

It was a simple matter. Leader Futoyuki's silence was not out of obligation for the Wanderers or any other reason.

 _No,_ thought Murakami. In that case...

 **Black Wolf:** "Right. I know what this must be..."

Suzaku, Suzume, and Kon turned his way.

It was funny how all three of them nodded without paying any attention to each other. That meant they had been in similar circumstances and understood this.

So Murakami spoke.

 **Black Wolf:** "Kimura, you too should understand how Futoyuki feels."

.

Kimura nodded.

_...I did more or less understand._

Futoyuki's silence most likely applied to a position she had once been in.

In fact, some of Border's members had once been _like that_. But...

 _...We stopped being_ like that _._

So she had briefly hesitated in responding to this man who had not stopped.

 **Manager:** "I agree with all of you."

And so she spoke to Futoyuki while still seated.

"We have information and guesses concerning what the Wanderers will do next. ...Specifically, that you all are already preparing for afterwards. Can I ask about that?"

Futoyuki's reaction was the same.

"—"

Silence and motionlessness.

He did not respond. He did not nod or shake his head. And seeing that, Kimura thought to herself.

 _...I was right. He really_ isn't _fulfilling some kind of obligation to them._

That was not what this silence was.

"No, that is right."

Kimura made that contradictory statement, and then...

 **Manager** _:_ "Hey, idiot. I am going to say the rest."

 **Life:** "Don't tell me; tell the guy in front of you. Tell him he's experiencing the same thing you did."

 _That idiot is as hard to deal with as ever,_ she thought with a bitter smile.

_..."The same thing you did"? Don't just put it in the past tense like that._

_That'll force me to realize it really is only in the past now._

But she replied with "right" and spoke.

"Leader Futoyuki. My apologies. ...I seem to have asked the wrong question."

"...?"

He wrinkled his brow in confusion and she stood up.

His eyelevel was indeed higher than hers. But their stance was equal now. They were not creating a difference in position as part of their bargaining.

And as they faced each other, Kimura nodded and opened her mouth.

"Leader Futoyuki. ...Border Defense Agency has decided that your visit and request were made on your own discretion."

"You mean...?"

"Needless to say, the Wanderers's decision to join us on our end belong to no one else. And the Border Defense Agency has accepted that you made that decision as their leader as well as someone who cares for the people he is with and you visited alone as a sign of good faith."

So...

"Border will eventually receive your support, so we thank you for your bravery."

.

Everyone watched as Futoyuki listened to Kimura's words.

"..."

He remained silent, but he did react.

"Heh."

He closed and hid his eyes with a smile.

He was happy.

But he made sure to let anyone see.

"I am in your debt...!"

With those words, he lowered his body to one knee in front of Kimura.

He lowered his head and breathed in.

"I, Wanderers's leader and head inventor to said group Futoyuki, shall entrust myself to Miden!"


	11. Active - Just_Relax

Kimura saw the man kneeling before her take a breath.

And a message reached the chat next to her.

**Kura-uchi:** "That was an excellent decision, Manager. ...As a fighter, it would be horribly shameful to explain how I ended up in my current position."

_I imagine so,_ thought Kimura.

Those two were where they were now because they had lost a battle. But...

**Kura-uchi:** "Yagura is a strange place."

**Ōji:** "Is it?"

**Kura-uchi:** "It is."

_Are they really so bad the Ōji Shooter has to mention it?_ wondered Kimura, but the boy continued.

**Kura-uchi:** "At Yagura, no one says that we are forced to join them in their branch. They are just saying that they will welcome us if we do in fact join them at some point. There are times when I nearly forget that we are not yet a part of their branch and are just up for consideration."

But...

**Kura-uchi:** "And because no one tells us to join either...it feels like we are being told that we can join whenever and will be welcomed no matter the circumstances."

.

Kon felt her heart pound when she saw Kurauchi's words.

_...Ah._

She had heard something similar once a long time ago.

_...Jinsei._

"Heh heh. There are many people who are like that."

From behind, Suzume pulled in Kon, Kagami, and Murakami. Her hair smelled just like a flower. And with that hint of peony, the entertainer sister spoke.

"When my foolish former captain asked for us to be on his team, he saw how we could be useful, but he said he didn't care if we were honestly strong."

_In that case,_ thought Kon.

_...Those words were a way of saying goodbye to the past, weren't they?_

How did people feel in the present? Even if something lost had been found, was it _a new present_ or _a continuation from the past?_

"It's hard to say," said Kagami. "Everyone builds up deep relationships with people while others are gone. Even if the latter arrives late and even if they build up a relationship, they can't hope to match the depth of the relationships people like Kon, Murakami-kun, and Misaki-chan have with some people."

"That's not-..."

Kon started to reply but stopped herself.

Relationships were no one else's business. There was no point in someone else giving their opinion about them. But there was something she had to say.

"Don't worry. There are different kinds of relationships."

"That's true. Yes," agreed Murakami. "For example, mine is a relationship between teacher and student with Akasora-sensei. And I think he sees it the same way as others who are in our class while also being a part of Border."

"But...there are combining techniques such as _shudo_ for confirming the bonds between a teacher and student."

Tension filled Murakami's smile when Kagami said that.

_...Ohh._

**Honest Sister:** "Heh heh heh! This doggy knight nearly died just from having his throat rubbed, so I wonder how far he can honestly go! And I thought my idiotic teammate was bad!"

**Mi-Kon:** "D-don't say it like that, Suzume! If you provoke him, it might ignite his beast power and cause him to overthrow his teacher!"

**Black Wolf:** "You're not helping, Kon!"

This was not the time to discuss any further developments.

Kon ignored Suzume behind her and placed her arms around Kagami and Murakami's shoulders.

"Okay, okay. We need to focus on Kimura, not the nonsense from the weird person behind us."

Suzume whispered "behind us" in the exact same tone, but Kon focused on ignoring her.

Then she saw Kimura's words in front of her.

They were words, but they were not sounds. They were text.

**Manager:** "I understand most of what's going on, but I would like to confirm some things about Futoyuki-san. Give me whatever information you can."

.

Kimura sat down once more.

In front of her, a man kneeled down and took deep breaths to calm himself.

It was Futoyuki.

_...This is an interesting person._

_That's disrespectful of me,_ she thought. _I'm looking down on him,_ she added before asking a question.

**Manager:** "Akashi-san...how about it?"

**Secretary:** "You want to know about Futoyuki, right!? The information just came in from Akasora-san! This'll be long!? Are you sure!?"

**Honest Sister:** "Heh heh. Silly boy. How about summing it up in 5 words?"

**Secretary:** "A life of barely surviving. I guess that would do it!"

**Almost Everyone:** "See, you can do it if you try!"

**Du-Sis:** "Congratulations..."

**Iko:** "Well done..."

**Shobu:** "...Yeah... ...A round of...applause..."

**Secretary:** "What!? Why are you treating me like the dumb kid!? And this is proof that Tsukiko is a bad influence on younger people!"

**White Fox:** "Oh, Mei is almost here."

**Everyone:** "That subject change!"

Regardless, what Akashi had said was important.

A life of barely surviving.

That described Wanderers as a whole. After all, it was a small group of Neighbors with multiple other places wanting their attention or wanting their attention elsewhere so as not to deal with them. Which meant...

_...They're a group that is just in the way for others._

A group needed resources and people. But when they tried to gain anything and increase their strength, they could not strengthen themselves well with other powers not doing much for them immediately or doing something too late.

So they desperately tried to hold back with what they could while gaining the protection of the major nations they decided would be best. But...

**Secretary:** "Even so, most times they have to fight on their very own or with minimal support. This is all coming directly from them. According to what Akasora-san said. On several occasions, Futoyuki himself has sent a suicide unit of Trion Soldiers of a few dozens to the center of an enemy force or used an ambush to achieve victory in real battles. Not like today's 'greeting'."

**Shōgi Boy:** "But that was probably on the fault and guidance of his team, wasn't it?"

**Secretary:** "Futoyuki took part as well."

_Probably so,_ thought Kimura.

_...That would be his pride._

He wanted to be a leader in more than just name, so he joined the battle.

He might have been in the way on the battlefield, but he appeared on the frontline and fought.

He might not have been as useful as the rest of his team with their fighting ability, but he had trained his body and maintained his strength so he would not just be a burden.

And the man in front of her was...

_...A normal person._

Everyone had different tendencies, body types, and dispositions, and those would determine what they could and could not do. Those could be viewed as "talent", but they could also be seen as "gifts of hard work" when they were overcome.

This man named Futoyuki would probably have been a diligent and somewhat strict person if the world was not the way it was. But...

**Manager:** "He's the kind of person who refuses to lie to himself and will not fall back. I'm sure that is a reason as to why he can use a Black Trigger. Although he doesn't seem the best at using it."

After typing out that text, Kimura spoke out loud.

"Futoyuki-san. To reiterate, we cannot accept your request at the moment. Earth is currently trying to see whether or not we can handle any invaders. If we accept something that brings those same invaders to mind, we will be forced to reevaluate ourselves as well as those are providing our backing and other related subjects that involve us. ...And then your group will be a target for Aftokrator, any worlds against us, and even some who would also try to benefit from a relationship with Earth. ...Thus, we cannot accept at the moment."

"Th-then when can you...!?"

"Right. We can hear you out once we have confirmed our own power. But to be more accurate..."

Kimura breathed in.

"After we grow strong enough for any relationships to truly happen."

.

Yuki sensed the pause to make a decision.

Futoyuki stopped moving when he heard Kimura.

Time seemed to flow slowly for a moment. And then...

_...What will he do?_

With that silent question, Yuki lowered his hips slightly and leaned forward.

He was prepared to move in case Futoyuki tried something.

Next to him, Senzai used his fingertips to push his Raygust toward him. He was telling him to use both blades.

Murakami and Kanzaki also prepared for combat.

And then Futoyuki moved.

He swung his body down low and spoke.

"Understood."

He clenched his hands and placed them on the floor on either side of his body.

"I leave that decision to you...!"

.

"Then, Futoyuki-san, allow Border to introduce you as a person scouted by the Yagura Branch."

Yuki listened to Kimura's response.

And she raised her hand.

"'Yuki', prepare a safe place for him near a branch office. He will need some guards at the start, but he will be our agent and he must not be exposed to any danger from our own people."

"Got it," replied Yuki as he opened a tab on his phone. For the guards, he first checked around Border and then sent instructions to the the directors.

_...So he is joining as a member of Border, not receiving our protection. Given Futoyuki's apparent personality, an unnecessarily heavy guard shouldn't be necessary._

If he cared about his life, he would tell them if his pride was not at risk.

So he needed to choose a location with plenty of options like that.

"I will prepare an apartment complex near Toby and Takeshi. There will be employment or schooling opportunities and he will be able to support himself. ...What kind of status should he have?"

Kimura answered that question.

"He won't be able to spread his wings if he stands out. ...Send him as a reserve lecturer student for a school where Akasora-san was teaching and he shouldn't have trouble getting along with people. Is that acceptable?"

"...Yeah."

Futoyuki bowed toward Yuki and Kimura over and over.

_Oh, no,_ thought Yuki as he sent the instructions to the directors.

"All done. Approval won't arrive until later, so for today..."

"Yes," said Suzaku. He had already prepared a map of the city. "You can spend the night at the Yagura Branch behind us. We will have Yucchi and Akasora-san set you up with some money to use. They will also explain what you need to know later on as well."

"I am in your debt...!"

With that, Futoyuki's body went limp.

He had relaxed.

His tense expression loosened up and sweat poured from his brow.

_...That's good._

With that thought, Yuki nodded toward Kon and Suzaku.

But then Suzaku frowned.

_Eh?_ thought Yuki when he saw that expression and where the boy was looking.

"...There!"

Suzaku shouted toward something that appeared behind Futoyuki. They then heard a voice.

**"Classification: Unregistered Reaction – Special – Forced Appearance from Covert Mode: Submit."**

Immediately, the air audibly burst behind Futoyuki and something was blown away.

It flew through the air. And as Yuki looked up at it, he heard Futoyuki's voice.

"...Hatomi!"

.

Kimura saw a tall old man in the sky.

The gray-haired man wore a uniform like a hakama.

"Futoyuki...!"

Even as he shouted and flew through the air, he made a flip and a half to land on his feet.

And the old man kneeling there was Wanderers'...

_Second-in-command._

"H-Hatomi! Why are you here!? I-I can get by on my own!"

"You fool...!"

The old man slapped Futoyuki's face with his raised right hand.

Futoyuki shrieked, held his cheek, and shook his body.

"You have guts claiming you can get by on your own, Futoyuki! Just now, you were getting help from the Miden's agents and - what, manager? Thank you. - Manager!"

**Pokari:** "Does this argument mean the only way to get by on your own is to live a wild life while entirely alone and gathering all your own supplies?"

**Haru:** "Well, these wanderers are primarily made up of tossed aside people, right? So that might actually be how they think."

**Hero:** "Back at the orphanage, we all helped each other out, so that kind of life is so very impressive in comparison. ...Hee hee. Now I understand why you saved me and helped me, Haru-san."

* * *

"Yuba-san! 'That Gunner' is rising to the top of Border's search list!"

The Wanderers' actions were the center of attention in Yuba Squad's operating room as well.

Yuba frowned at the information arriving via recording.

"'That Gunner', huh? ...It guess some people see things much like I do." He snorted derisively. "People, I will never accept this just because Hogo is happy, so don't worry."

* * *

_Some people must have it tough,_ thought Kimura as she asked a question.

**Manager:** "Is someone leaking information on this meeting?"

**Demon Child:** "Whoever's behind it, it seems to only be information on the Gunner and his boyfriend."

**Kuni:** "Yeahhh, I wonder who it could be? Ah ha ha."

**Ōji:** "Yes, who could it be?"

**Bamboo Sniper:** "Can't you blame them all using joint responsibility?"

**Wisteria:** "I finally make it here and this is what I come to. You all seem to enjoy some odd things."

**Umi:** "I can cut off all data to prevent our own people from leaking anything out. What should I do?"

**Manager:** "It's harmless, so don't bother. In fact, this helps because it doesn't look like we're holding a meeting."

Inukai gave her a silent look, but she decided to ignore it.

Now that Mei was here, she was sure to take charge while sticking close to Yuki.

**Wisteria:** "Oh yeah, Kimura, you are still in charge of this discussion. I will only be here for some 'fun' with everyone and not because of my Side Effect."

**Everyone:** "She is laying it on hard for Kimura!"

Anyway, Kimura looked to the old man standing in front of her. A warning sign from Suzaku Squad was opened behind his neck and it was set to prevent any damage to them.

"Old man, who are you?"

"Right. My apologies. ...I am Wanderers' second-in-command and keeper of the prison Hatomi."

He faced her in a relaxed pose and lightly nodded.

"I am here to watch over my unworthy leader's departure and marriage!"

.

_Marriage._ wondered Mei with a tilt of her head.

_...With a Neighbor._

She saw the others tilting their heads as well.

The crossdresser alone was focused on his talk with Sora on the phone.

"Manliness? But that can be divided into two categories: things you can learn and things such as body type and personality that you can't. Which one is more important to you? Oh, and I mean important to your ideal and your current self. ...Yes, it can be something else. There are no rules for this kind of thing."

**Shobu:** "...Kirikari-sama is...amazing."

**Honest Sister:** "Heh heh. That foolish man really likes listening to people. He keeps things going at just the right speed for them to reveal everything!"

**Demon Child:** "This is pretty entertaining, so should I leak it out?"

**Umi:** "P-please don't! What if people start asking the local shrine about it!? Shintai-kun has been saying something about starting a new show recently, so this is a dangerous time!"

_It is hard to tell whether he is useful or a nuisance,_ concluded Mei in her heart. And when she looked forward, she saw Keeper of the Prison Hatomi facing Kimura.

Mei raised his right forearm and continued to refuse asking questions. She instead spoke statements.

"Okay. I am going to get right to the point."

"So you'll honestly be thrusting the point right on in there! Right, Mei-san!?"

Mei exchanged a thumbs up with Suzume and then continued.

"You, Hat-...there are so many similar names I am having difficulty telling them apart with my calculations, but you there. You mentioned marriage, but did not say who you will be marrying."

"Of course. In this case, it will be following what our former leader has said. Meaning..."

Hatomi looked at someone behind Mei.

"That ponytail girl with a sword. You will marry our leader, Leader Futoyuki."

It was Kanzaki.

.

_...Oh._

Mei looked to Kanzaki.

Similarly, Suzume behind her, Murakami and Kon next to him, and the others around him...

"Um."

They all looked to Kanzaki who was entirely focused on eating.

She was eating a Shintai Shrine kudzu leaf meal called Leafstyle and a large yakiniku meal abbreviated as the Large Yak from Kageura's restaurant. The Red Lightning and others had prepared enough for everyone present and more, but the manager had contacted them earlier and said the Red Lightning's food was not going to be ready in time.

_...I have determined that is a slight disappointment._

At any rate, Kanzaki was tilting her head back to stuff more of the Leafstyle's boiled leaves in her mouth. Then she kept her head tilted back as she poured the tea from the Large Yak in her mouth instead of the sake that came with the Leafstyle.

She used the drink to help swallow the boiled leaves.

"Ngah."

With a sound halfway between a voice and a sigh, she faced forward and toward Mei. Then...

"Do not worry. There is enough for everyone."

"No, Shizuka, that is not the issue." Mei nodded. "I have some bad news and some unimportant news for you."

"Then give them in order."

"She sure is decisive..." commented a few people, but Mei ignored it.

She sat down and spoke to Kanzaki.

"Shizuka...it seems the food from the Red Lightning will not arrive."

"My god..."

The empty container and the chopsticks slipped from Kanzaki's hands.

Her mouth fell slightly open and her eyebrows wrinkled somewhat as she looked to Mei. But...

"Unfortunately, this is reality," said the unquestioning girl.

"...How unfortunate indeed."

Kanzaki groaned, turned around, and ran off.

Mei and the others watched her leave. And after the span of a few breaths, Kimura spoke up.

"Um, hey."

"No, it is fine, Kimura. ...Uh, Shizuka, I secretly brought your serving along with me."

Mei pulled a Red Lightning paper bag from behind her back and waved it around. Kanzaki returned at full speed. Her feet screeched along the ground as she came to a stop and she fell to her knees.

"If it is a gift from you, Fuji-dono, I will eat it first!"

Kanzaki took the Red Lightning paper bag and Mei said "great" and nodded a few times. Then Mei spoke to the girl who was already splitting the baguette and making an extra-thick ham sandwich.

"As promised, I will now give you the unimportant news."

"Yes. What is it, Fuji-dono?"

"Right. Someone is saying they wish to wed a ponytail girl wielding a sword in accordance with what has been said by their former leader. ...That's them over there."

Kanzaki looked in the direction she indicated.

Hatomi and Futoyuki were there. Kanzaki viewed the two of them while chewing, but she finally audibly swallowed. And...

"Both of them do?"

"Hatomi! Were you planning on sharing my wife!?"

"Futoyuki! How dare you be jealous of your subordinate! Have you no shame!?"

"At least deny the accusation," everyone muttered as Kanzaki tilted her head.

"So who do they want to wed?"

"Eh?" said Futoyuki as his head fell forward. He seemed to be somewhat surprised, but he pointed at the Border group after a few moments.

His finger was clearly pointed at Kanzaki and Kanzaki looked at herself and then behind her.

"You were planning on growing out a ponytail and wielding a sword...Arafune-dono?"

Arafune silently stepped to the right, revealing...

"Oh, it was Kitazoe-dono."

"Eh!? Wh-what!? I-I was only checking my mailing orders on the network! I certainly wasn't doing anything wrong!"

"Kitazoe." Mei gestured toward Futoyuki. "He seems to wish to make you his wife."

.

"Eh?"

Mei saw Kitazoe look to Futoyuki. His eyes moved from the man's feet up to his head.

"A-are you trying to trick me when I'm not paying attention!? Besides, who decided on this!?"

"A leader."

"A leader!?"

"Yes, it was said by a leader," declared Mei. "As it is only right to follow a leader's words, Kitazoe, you must become his wife. Now, you have two options: think of him as less than a man and marry him, or ask Kimura or Yuki to rescue you. But you will not actually be lost if you are taken as his wife, so I must warn you that our usual forces will not be very motivated this time."

"P-please save me! Skinny Manager-chan!"

"You think I'll save you when you call me that!?"

"W-wait!"

Someone interrupted. It was Futoyuki. He was blushing and pointing at Kitazoe.

"I-I refuse!"

"Too bad, Futoyuki. Kitazoe refused first," resolutely stated Mei. "We win this round."

"W-wait!"

"If we wait, then we win the second round, so are you sure you want that."

"What kind of rules are those!?"

"The world of politics is cruel."

Mei opened her phone to check the time. She counted to 5, and...

"I waited 5 seconds. ...We win the second round."

.

**Kuni:** "Aren't these rules actually extremely simple?"

**Demon Child:** "Yes. I thought that too last time."

**Manager:** "Aren't any of you going to stop her?"

**Almost Everyone:** "Say that into a mirror!"

.

Mei saw Futoyuki sweat bullets and shake his head.

"N-no, wait!"

"You pointed at Kitazoe earlier. You make it seem as if you are going against what your former leader had said" she said. "Leaders are frightening. After all, if they name you, you must die. If they tell you to get married, you must do so. Of course, you can always die or marry without them telling you to."

Fuyushima had stepped out of the building with some guest tea in hand, but he immediately stepped back inside and closed the door. Suzaku shouted over at him.

"Ah, Fuyushima-san! Please at least leave the tea!"

"Umi! Umi! You're really on fire today, aren't you!?"

_This place always has such a nice atmosphere,_ thought Mei before speaking to Futoyuki.

"Now, marry Kitazoe."

"D-do I have no rights here!?" asked Kitazoe.

"Th-that's right, Miden girl! Y-you need to respect his rights!"

"...I _need_ to."

"Please respect his rights!"

"Right." Mei nodded several times. "Once you two are married, I will personally monitor the situation to ensure he is not a victim of rights-ignoring abuse."

Futoyuki's face passed red and turned purple.

"We win the third round," said Mei.

"W-wait! I was pointing to the person in front of him!"

"Oh, so it was Arafune."

Arafune shrugged.

"I want to watch a movie to forget all about this."

_Indeed,_ thought Mei. And...

"Understood. There seems to have been a misunderstanding."

"S-so you've finally gotten it into your thick hea-...I mean, you've finally been so kind as to understand!?"

"Yes," concluded Mei. "I have it all figured out: Arafune, watch a movie. Futoyuki, marry Kitazoe and let the guards monitor you."

"Listen to meeeeeee!"

"She demoted him to the guards!" everyone shouted, but Mei tilted her head.

"You leave me no choice. Explain in a simpler fashion then."

Futoyuki fell to his knees and spent half a minute or so regulating his breathing.

"U-um!"

Once he recovered, he pointed at Kanzaki who was reaching for her second croquette.

"I will marry that girl, Kanzaki as you called her, as a strong fighter of Miden with a sword."

"Shizuka. You might have something to say about this."

"Eh?" Kanzaki looked back and forth and then tilted her head again. "Unfortunately, I intend to give up Kōgetsu and move to a different Trigger. I no longer feel like a simple Attacker. I am more like an almost-Lancer, so that would not work."

.

"Wait!"

Futoyuki shouted that word for the umpteenth time today.

_...Wh-what is the meaning of this!?_

He did not understand. It was all so crazy. Besides...

_...The swordswoman will become a lancer!?_

"Hatomi!? What is this!?"

"Don't let it get to you, Futoyuki!"

"Hatomi! Can we solve this if I don't let it get to me!?"

"Yes! We can come up with a good idea if you don't let it get to you! ...And you, girl!"

His comrade pointed at the ponytail girl who was eating some bread with vegetables and cheese between it.

"You say you intend to leave behind the sword to switch to a pole arm Trigger!? If that is why you are rejecting Futoyuki's marriage request, then first prove you are stronger than him!"

"Huh? So you want a duel?"

She stood up.

Seeing her casual stance, Futoyuki took a defensive stance as someone tossed him Kōgetsu.

_...What is this?_

_._

_The title of Ponytail Girl isn't just for show,_ thought Futoyuki.

She was only standing there, but he sensed a presence that felt like an attack coming from somewhere...no, coming from everywhere. And he was overwhelmed by a desire to flee.

_...Sh-she's good!_

_But,_ he thought.

_...I am Wanderers' former leader and former Black Trigger user._

He knew fighting techniques and was trained in sword fighting. In a limited head-on battle, he was confident he could hold his own against his team.

"In that case..."

Futoyuki lowered his hips in a combat stance. He held his left arm out front and slightly raised, he reached his right arm toward the sword at his hip, and he leaned his body to the left.

"Let's do this!"

A careless horizontal swing of the enemy's spear caught him in the jaw from the left.

.

**Simple Boy:** "Oh, I did not know people could make that noise."

**Pokari:** "Yeah, it sounded like it had to come from something else."

**Black Wolf:** "Also, he's kind of flying away."

**Umi:** "Oh, no. What do I do? He didn't go through the proper process, so he doesn't have a contract and I can't help from any damages done here. ...Kimura, quit playing with Krümel. Hey."

.

"Hm," said Kanzaki as she focused on the tactile feedback.

She had quickly reversed her grip on the spear and swung the bottom end. She had made it look like the attack would come from the right and then instantly switched to an attack from the left.

_...To do that while standing requires anchoring your feet to the ground._

She was only able to pull this off after learning to create an axis line for her strength.

_...I am gradually growing closer to the top level._

Meanwhile, Futoyuki had been knocked away.

"D-...!"

He got up with his hand on his cheek.

"D-damn you! That was a surprise attack! Th-this isn't over yet!"

.

She immediately hit him from the right.

.

**Hero:** "Huh? It sounded different that time, didn't it?"

**Haru:** "Shiro-chan, you don't mind watching something like this?"

**Hero:** "Eh? But when someone is demonstrating their resolve, you have to watch it through to the end. I see no meaning in feeling displeasure or disgust over something like that."

**Haru:** "Right. I agree."

**Umi:** "What!? What is this atmosphere!?"

**Honest Sister:** "You don't know, Suzaku!? That lovey-dovey couple is using this to rise to their next stage! At the final stage, the air honestly grows too thick to breathe! Here, use this oxygen mask! There's one for you too, Kō-senpai!"

**Black Wolf:** "Why are you pushing up your breasts!?"

**Pokari:** "Oh, it happened a third time."

.

Kimura watched the Wanderers' former leader roll along the ground a third time.

He stopped while sprawled out on his back. Even an amateur like her could tell he was taking direct hits.

_...Doesn't that hurt?_

Was this a sign of his pride, or was it something else? Whatever it was, the Wanderers' former leader looked discouraged. He sat up while crying and with blood dripping from his mouth and nose.

"Hatomi! Hatomi! I can't do it! There's no way I can win!"

"Argh! How weak-willed are you!? And you call yourself our second former leader?"

With that final comment, the Wanderers' former leader hopped to his feet.

_Ohh,_ thought Kimura as she grabbed Krümel's front paws and made the dog dance.

_...That brought back his motivation._

A fourth sound rang out.

.

Kanzaki thought:

_...The Wanderers' leader uses some odd combat techniques._

He left himself wide open and let her hit him.

That was all.

She wondered if he had strong defenses and was trying to wear her out, but that was not the case. She could feel the blows reaching his bones.

She wondered if he had some kind of plan, but after she sent him flying a fourth time, that seemed unlikely.

_No matter how I look at it, his fighting is entirely devoid of technique,_ she thought. He was the leader of a group, making this a duel against an A-Rank and Neighbor leader. This had to be some kind of plan.

_...But is there any strategic value to this method?_

She was inexperienced, but could she come up with anything here?

"—"

She could.

"Strange secretary! Is there anything to this!?"

"It isn't often you see someone rely on others to that extent, Yoneya-kun-wannabe-kun!"

_He praised me. Then I need take pride in this._

"Yes. ...Because thinking is a pain!"

"Don't say that so loudly..." someone muttered, but she did not mind. The Secretary would answer her either way. As usual, he pushed his hair back a bit.

"This is...yes. The Wanderers' former leader might be doing this to demonstrate that he will not lay a hand on you. He might be filling you with doubt, wondering why he won't lay a hand on you."

**Du-Sis:** "Did you hit your head? How about looking at reality every once in a while?"

_That conflicting opinion has helped balance things out._

_But,_ thought Kanzaki.

_...This is about whether or not I question his actions?_

Kanzaki started by questioning herself and quickly reached her conclusion:

"Thinking really is a pain."

She could move her body though, so she hit him a fifth time as he got up.

.

_This is just about over,_ thought Kimura as she reached for Krümel who was on the floor.

Krümel was usually in her arms at times like these, so he was not used to the floor right after being put down. She hoped to teach him how to walk without worrying so she could eventually go on walks with him. But for the moment...

"Okay, we have work to do, Krümel."

The quick rest and bit of fun seemed to have rid Krümel of his sleepiness. So once in her arms...

"Wan!"

"Good, good." Kimura rubbed his head and turned to face the Wanderers' former leader.

"I-I can't! Hatomi! If I keep this up, something inside me is going to break!"

"Argh! You sound like a delusional middle schooler! And you call yourself the Wanderers' second former leader!?"

But his former subordinate's scolding did not work a second time. He only continued weeping.

"D-dammit! And I thought I could get a wife in this new land and make a comeback! Just like our leader!"

**Kuni:** "Yeah. Guys have a way of including other people in their schedules without asking."

**Demon Child:** "Well, girls have a way of including other people in their own worlds."

**Pokari:** "Yeah, that's how doujinshis are made, isn't it?"

**Bamboo Sniper:** "You people don't hesitate to take swipes at each other, do you?"

Kimura could not agree more.

But then Kanzaki sighed and the Wanderers' former leader got down on his knees.

"Hatomi! I've had enough! I'll live alone! I can't be like our leader!"

"Argh! How can you say that after inheriting the name of Wandering Leader!? And you call yourself a man!?"

Kanzaki tilted her head at the Keeper of the Prison's words.

"I intend to permanently switch to this spear, not Kōgetsu. Thus, I will not be a 'ponytail girl with a sword', but if you do want to marry me, you just have to take up a sword to go along with my ponytail. Oh, but you will also have to be the wife since I will be the one maintaining earning the most money now."

**Umi:** "I'm sorry. I'm not quite sure what she means there..."

That was hardly uncommon.

But then the Wanderers' former leader gasped and turned toward his comrade.

"Th-that makes sense! Hatomi! I'm going to give up on being a man and become a woman!"

"Damn you!"

**TetsuG:** "I think he would have trouble being a woman too..."

**Kuni:** "Eh? What are you talking about, Arafune! Being a woman is super useful! If your negotiations aren't going well, you just have to scream and shout 'molester'!"

**Almost Everyone:** "That's blackmail, not a negotiation!"

_We'll have to establish a cutoff point when they're arrested,_ carelessly thought Kimura.

Then she asked Kanzaki a question.

"You're not really thinking about getting married, right?"

"Correct. I have my hands full simply switching to a spear. It would probably take some training for someone to become my mother or Shinoda-san, but Earth has bigger things to worry about right now anyway. ...Besides, even if marriage interviews are an option, it would probably be best if it was someone I already knew."

"Then," said Suzume as she wrote something on her open and unlocked tablet. "If you were honestly choosing someone from your age, who would it be?"

"Well," said Kanzaki as she looked around and spotted the Arafune captain and other Sniper using their arms to shield Minoru.

**Girls:** "Ohhh..."

Next to Inukai, Oshiro only said "oh, my" and held his hands to his cheeks. Yuki and Mei silently ate their portable food.

_Everyone responds differently,_ thought Kimura before Kanzaki nodded.

"I am not worthy of Kunichika-dono, so, well, if I had to choose...I suppose it would be Kimura."

.

Hokari and everyone else took a step away from Kimura.

Kunichika played a mellow song from her phone while singing "Chalala~ Chala, lalalala, chalala~" and wiggling her hips, but Kimura still turned back toward them all.

**Manager:** "W-wait! What is that distance for!?"

Suzume and Kagami pulled a long table and chairs from somewhere and sat down.

Suzume rested her elbow on the table and pointed at Kimura with her pen.

"This is honestly some top-tier material. You need to let me know what's going on here."

"And Umi-kun, how would this work?"

"Hmm, they're both from the same squad from the past, so a contract situation actually works out surprisingly well."

_At times like these, our age really doesn't hold back,_ thought Hokari as Kanzaki asked Kimura a question.

"Kimura, do you dislike me?"

"N-no, it isn't that."

Everyone immediately looked toward a certain person: Mei.

Mei opened a tab with the Red Lightning mark on it and then faced the Wanderers pair.

"Another case closed!"

"Mei! Mei! I think that is something I am suppose to say!"

"My apologies, Yuki. But I thought I needed to say it until you began saying it, and I finally managed to do so here."

_Does that make it okay?_ wondered Hokari as he looked to the Wanderers duo.

"Um, what do you have to say?" He asked.

"Kh..."

Futoyuki faced Kimura and took a combat stance.

"M-Miden Manager! I challenge you...!"

"Ah," said Hokari. "This could be dangerous."

.

He was hit a sixth time.

.

Kon saw Kanzaki stand in front of Kimura and speak in a dignified tone.

"You! Keep your hands off my wife!"

"Hatomi! Hatomi! I have no idea what's going on anymore!"

Kon could not agree more, but she felt no sympathy whatsoever. Was that because she was on Border's side?

_...Umm, how is Kimura?_

Their Manager was completely frozen and was not moving.

Meanwhile, Mei had joined Suzume and Kagami at the long table.

"Now, I am worried about Kimura's decision."

"Yes. If she makes the wrong decision here, it will really mess with our schedule."

As the artist agreed with Mei, Kanzaki turned back toward Kimura and asked a question.

"Kimura, are you okay?"

"...Eh?"

Kimura came back to her senses and Kanzaki said more.

"Despite what I said, I already have a lot on my plate these days. I apologize if I got your hopes up."

"Eh? O-oh! Don't worry, don't worry! You didn't get my hopes up and, um, we can put this on hold, okay?"

"O-of course you will!" someone shouted.

It was Hatomi. The veins were bulging from his temples as he pointed at Kanzaki and Kimura.

"Two girls!? You dare violate procreation so flagrantly!?"

"I was thinking nothing of the sort," insisted Kanzaki.

**Black Wolf:** "I kind of think she was."

**Bamboo Sniper:** "Huh? I thought your rules said she wins as long as she says it."

But someone glared sharply at Hatomi when he mentioned "two girls".

_...That would be Suzume..._

_Could this end badly?_ wondered Kon when she saw how intensely Suzume was glaring at Hatomi. She spun her pen in her hand.

"You there. What was that about two girls?"

But before Hatomi could answer, someone stopped Suzume.

It was Kunichika. She had been behind Kon earlier, but she had circled behind Suzume on the right.

"No! You mustn't, Suzume! You mustn't give in to your thoughts that are shouting, 'No~, I want these two to be completely Yuri~ Smoochy, smoochy~'! Yes! Certainly not with these lips here!"

"H-hey! Please don't egg her on, Kunichika! And Suzume, don't let that moron get to you! Let's calm down, okay!?"

When Kon worked at a smile and looked back, she saw Suzume hanging her head, opening her eyes wide, and sweating.

**Kon:** "Kuniiiii!"

**Kuni:** "Eh? What?"

She was not listening. But Suzume did slowly lower her hips back into her chair.

"Okay, fine. So you refuse to accept two girls, do you?"

"Um, Suzume?"

Suzume ignored Kon and the strange girl raised her pen.

"Wanderers' second-in-command and 'Keeper of the Prison', I understand completely. ...You say it can't be two girls?"

"Th-that's right! Marriage opportunity must be equal!"

_Wouldn't that mean two girls would be fine?_

But Suzume simply nodded deeply a few times. And she stated her conclusion.

"Then I can honestly assume you're okay with two guys."

**Almost Everyone:** "Calm down!"

"Shut up, all of you!"

Suzume pointed her pen at the Wanderers pair.

"I made you into a doujinshi."

She used the past tense.

.

Suzaku saw Suzume sigh and sit down.

**Umi:** "Just out of curiosity, when did you draw that?"

**Honest Sister:** "Eh? Oh, I was honestly bored when they got here, so I drew it up. With them tripping, falling on their back, kneeling, and falling to all fours, I managed to snap some reference photos. And since the storyboard is important for this kind, I kept them mostly naked in the drawings."

_Is that how it works? She really is the master,_ thought Suzaku.

"Ah," said Kagami as she checked Suzume's tablet. "Suzume-chan, I wasn't doing my job, so look. You missed censoring it here."

She held it out toward everyone while saying "See? See?", so Suzaku quickly covered Girikage and Oshiro's eyes.

"Y-you mustn't look at this! If you do, you'll fall in the Border caste system!"

"That's right," said Hitomi. She glanced at the tablet and nodded. "You mustn't look at this, everyone! Everyone's is different! And we wouldn't want them feeling inadequate!"

"You're not helping!"

As everyone shouted their _tsukkomi_ , Kimura sighed and tilted her head.

"That will get banned, you know?"

"Heh. Don't be silly, Flat-chested Manager. We'll honestly censor it on site. Obviously." Suzume sounded entirely disinterested. "Of course, I get the feeling we'll forget to censor a few which will find their way out into the world. You will honestly forever rue the day you made an enemy of Border's Summit Flower."

"Wait!"

Both Wanderers shouted the word this time, so Kimura held out a hand, said "wait, I guess", and stood up. She looked to Yuki and Mei was the first to react.

Mei left her chair and held her phone displaying the Red Lightning mark to Yuki's right. And...

**Almost Everyone:** "C'mon!"

**White Fox:** "Eh!? Ehhh!?"

Kimura and Kunichika told him "Now! Do it now!" via eye contact.

Yuki finally lowered his shoulders in exasperation and breathed in.

"Another case closed!"

Everyone responded in accordance with the stupidity.

"Yes, sir...!"

They bowed down toward Yuki.

* * *

A large space had white-colored walls, the same colored ceiling, and a hard floor.

It was a dining hall.

The wall was engraved with the special emblem indicating it was a Border room.

The rectangular tables and the chairs all bore Border and the menu screen hanging above the counter contained a clock saying it was 1 AM.

The dining hall was currently only being used by those on break or performing routine duties.

Someone with brown hair walked through those with night duty. It was "Tenryū Aonegai" who was neither on break or performing routine duties. Instead she was just a guest who been allowed into the Border building under the supervision of the directors.

She had arrived in search of a light snack, but...

"Oh? Sawamura Kyōko-san, is everything done involving the Neighbors? I have heard that they are leaving now. That means that weird guy has joined your side as a member of Border and a citizen of Mikado City. Is that right?"

"Oh, yes, yes. We received all the information from Kimura earlier. It seems they had a rough time as negotiators."

"My teacher... My former teacher had a rough time of it as well. But apparently he was not trying to negotiate, so I suppose it does not count."

While wearing a long shirt and tights, "Tenryū Aonegai" regulated her breathing so her chest would not stick out. And she looked to Sawamura's hands.

… _It doesn't look like she intends to talk about the results..._

That was partially because she was focused on her work, but Sawamura had originally dealt with the fighting as well, so she did not draw any inferences before arriving at the conclusion. She always completed her work swiftly and made her decision only after viewing the result.

So while she was willing to chat, she would not make any inferences about what she was working on.

"Tenryū Aonegai" bowed toward no one in particular and went to get some tea from the counter. She also took a tangerine tart.

"Oh. Me too."

"Do you want the same thing?"

"Grab two extras."

_Eh?_ she thought as she looked back, but she soon found the answer.

Someone was resting their head and sleeping on a table in the opposite corner from the entrance she had used.

It was Akasora.

.

_...Okay then._

He had apparently come here to eat after finishing his own negotiations and arriving here.

With Sawamura as a director's assistant, paperwork for her own citizenship and Border enlistment had been passed down to the older girl. It was only right that she would be the one to greet the girl while she got a snack. For someone else with authority to be in the dining hall was unexpected.

Perhaps as a special treat from the usual head cook, Akasora's plate contained a heaping portion of leftover meat as well as some vegetables and a wooden container of rice. However, he had not touched any of it and slept with a tablet open. The sleepiness must have hit him when he was checking something like Sawamura.

"Tenryū Aonegai" placed a tart plate on the table next to him and then Sawamura sent a hollow voice her way.

"Tell him Tenryū-kun - the real one - was thankful for his negotiation.

"Why don't you tell him, Sawamura Kyōko-san?"

"I'm not as close to him as you are."

"Tenryū Aonegai" did not think Sawamura needed to keep that distance, but she did not seem to be getting up any time soon. So she decided to send Akasora a message and returned to Sawamura.

"Trouble sleeping?" asked Sawamura. "We gave you a place for the night after all."

"I'm fine. I can use medicine to sleep at any time if I have to."

"That's a relief."

"Tenryū Aonegai" placed a tart plate next to Sawamura. The girl had a tie holding back her hair and she immediately grabbed the tart with her right hand and took a bite.

"Oh. Sawamura Kyōko-san, don't you want a fork?"

"This cuts out the effort of washing it. I'm not showing off my navel for no reason."

"Oh, you're being economical. But please don't throw up what you eat."

"I can't really help that... Anyone would have the same reaction if they had so much to do."

Digging too deep into this would interrupt her thoughts, so "Tenryū Aonegai" grabbed her own tart.

"How does it taste?"

"Did you make them, Fake Tenryū-kun?"

"I chose them."

"It's sour."

They apparently were made with good tangerines. She thought it was improper to eat while standing up, but "Tenryū Aonegai" still took a bite of the tart. She stuck the point of the slice into her mouth, which seemed like a fresh new way to eat one.

"It really is nice and sour."

"Do you like them? People around her often eat tarts. Then is that the way to get them to grow now...?"

"If you are referring to breasts, I can only say it's a matter of your build and predisposition... Besides, I am often confused for a male, so I am a terrible example. Oh, but I do like tarts. I have a prominent memory of one. I think it was handmade by my teacher... Former teacher."

That received no response.

Had she interrupted Sawamura's thoughts and work? She did not know. But Sawamura said something else instead as she opened a tab to put some information from a paper she was holding.

"Trouble sleeping?"

.

Sawamura asked the same thing as before. But "Tenryū Aonegai" knew she was not the type to ask the same thing twice. So she nodded and looked to Sawamura's hands.

"Everyone seems to be too excited to sleep."

"We will be having two new people joining us soon from just today, but that is fine since Akasora-san is a nice man and will take care of you two until you know exactly what you want to do. You decided to take his sister's name, but he is overlooking that for both you and his friend who had a wife with the same name."

Sawamura typed something up on one of the open tabs with a finger to fill something out.

"Is this right "

That was very like Sawamura who did not like making guesses.

_...She asked if "this is right", not if "this is about right"._

Aware of that, "Tenryū Aonegai" nodded and spoke.

"If you used what I said to get that answer, then I think you really are suited for a high position."

"Thanks."

With her action validated, Sawamura continued her work.

As seen here, Sawamura's work involved "Tenryū Aonegai" herself and how to create a new life for her. She did not include her own feelings in it. Everything was sorted using the facts she had on the girl. There was no guessing or uncertainty other than a single area.

The name of the person.

_...I am using a false name._

Sawamura was in charge of her for now. What mattered was that she properly got everything down correctly while also hiding anything that did not need to be known.

Something that was not to be hidden and what they all needed to know was not the false name of a dead woman but the true name of this living girl. Sawamura needed that information. Yet...

"You took up that name for Tenryū-san, didn't you? To try and make him just a bit happy because of your feelings for him."

"You understand what I felt at the time. I can see that and I can see who that is directed towards. That is all I can say though since you are way more truthful than I am."

"I am still behind, so there is no need to say that. Besides that, we have a liar ourselves, so you will fit in fine enough."

It was a bit unclear if she was joking or not.

There was no time to question her as she started to speak again.

"Now then... What will I be putting for your name? I refuse to put the name of Akasora-san's sister."

"I...am not too sure."

"Did you not have a name before taking that one?"

"I did. But it's not one I feel like remembering."

"Then pick one you like. One you can use for a new life in Mikado City. That way you really will fit in with the Yagura Branch."

"What do you mean...?"

Sawamura spoke her words so naturally that it felt like she had been through something similar before. As if this conversation had come up before in her life.

"If you come across the names 'Tsukiko' or 'Takato' in Border then you can ask them. You may need some help there with talking to them, but it will be worth it. For now you can give me a name you want. A name you will not regret and one that will help you get through your life here."

_A name I won't regret..._

That "you can give me" part was Sawamura's style of mercy and strictness.

"Can I... Can I call myself 'Misawa Arisa'?"

* * *

Kimura sighed as she looked out the window and into the night sky.

She was in the far room of the Yagura Branch that belonged to Border.

It was 1 AM, but the members of the Yagura Branch, Border, and others were lying or sitting on the tatami mat floor.

They had just finished eating the bentos they had ordered and they were now taking a break.

Those who had been down below had to be exhausted. Since they had been a part of the negotiations after that, they were now sleeping on the floor. Mizukami had been in the room organizing things instead of dealing with the negotiation, so he must have been able to catch a nap earlier.

"What's everyone sleepin' all over the floor for? Couldn't they at least take a bath first?"

Even as she said that, Yuki and Mei were covering them all with the blankets they had brought in.

"Satoshi, your bento is over there."

"Gotcha. The Shintai Shrine ones have a weariness-reducing medicine added to the included sake, so I'll wait 'til later."

And then...

"You too, Kagami?"

Kagami was sleeping in a half-sitting position with the empty bento boxes stacked up next to her. And she had two people using her lap as a pillow:

"Kirikari on the receiving end of all sorts of scolding from Suzaku-san. But..."

"But?"

"Well...you know how Kon-san is. After dealing with him so often, she needed to sleep to relax herself. Kirikari said he would crossdress and lend her his lap, but the sleepiness won out and this was the result. From there, Kagami-san and then Kunichika-san fell asleep."

Kagami had placed his track suit over the two sleeping on his lap and he had the Tachikawa Operator's track suit top placed over him. The Tachikawa Operator was sleeping while clinging to Kagami's butt and she had Murakami's track suit top placed over her.

Murakami was still awake, but he was clearly starting to nod off.

"Murakami-san, we have blankets now, so you can use one to sleep."

"Aeh? ...Oh, I-I'm fine."

"Do ya think yer the night watchman?" asked Mizukami as he handed Murakami three blankets.

"Three?"

"One for those three, one for Kagami, and one for you."

Sure enough, that would work.

Murakami placed a blanket over the three lying on the floor and placed one over Kagami. He wrapped it around Kagami's front side which hid Kirikari and the others.

He then placed the final blanket over his own shoulders and sat next to Kon, but...

"Kō, Kon's legs are stickin' out to the side there."

"I-I am not going to touch her while she sleeps!"

"I was actually trying to suggest ya use 'er legs as a pillow, but suit yourself."

Murakami blushed, but he showed no sign of leaving Kon's side.

_...Yeah._

It only looked like Kon, Kagami, and that group were with Kirikari, but in fact...

"Oh, Kanzaki is over there."

She was asleep while sprawled out on the floor by the entrance. That was likely her position as a guard. When someone walked down the hall, she would grab the nearest object in her sleep, making a troubling noise. It was just like Yuki to have intentionally kept the blanket off of her dominant hand when placing it over her.

The Ōji duo seemed to be taking a break after eating their bentos beyond the partition placed at the entrance, and the others were much the same.

_...'Yuki', Ikoma-san, Akashi-san, Arafune-san, and the others are here too._

Those were late night group.

Having finished distributing the blankets, Yuki and Mei were finally starting on the bentos they had not eaten before. Akashi was writing up a report on the events of the day. As soon as Arafune had arrived, he had said "This is Prez's current area, isn't it?", chosen one of the two chairs up there, and sat down while messaging Inukai.

It was unusual for this many people to be gathered like this.

Girikage, Narasaka, Oshiro, and some other who held no purpose for staying at the branch office had decided to go home for their own sleep.

"It's been an eventful day."

With that comment, Kimura relaxed her shoulders.

_We had to go through a lot. "Yuki" and his own little group know more than any of us, so I guess they had to go through more._ At any rate he knew all three sides that had been involved with the day's events. It created a situation where everyone was positioned in a certain way even if they were not aware of it.

_...Is my position over there?_

Kimura thought about her position within the geometric pattern formed by tatami mats and blankets.

With bento in hand, Mizukami sighed and approached the windowsill where Kimura stood.

"...Toh."

He sat sideways in the windowsill space as if placing himself inside the window frame. He stuck his left half out the window, but he held onto the window frame with his right arm.

"Keep up the good work," he said.

"You can eat inside."

"Things might start to smell and Hitomi and Pokari don't like the smell."

"I see," said Kimura as she turned to see Hitomi and Hokari sleeping alongside the Kotowari Squad's Sniper. They were by the wall nearest Kirikari's group. But...

"...What's goin' on there?" asked Mizukami.

Hitomi was collapsed in a shallow S-shape with her arms overhead, Hokari's head rested on her left hip, and Suzume covered her from right belly to chest.

Kimura thought back on what had happened.

"At first, the Kotowari Squad Dancer felt sleepy and borrowed Hitomi-san's lap. Hokari-san was watching her sleep and almost instantly fell asleep himself. Hitomi-san couldn't support them and collapsed, so she just gave up and fell asleep herself."

"Yeah, Hitomi knows they won't be doin' anythin' to 'er because of Azuma-san." There was a slight smile in Mizukami's voice. He grabbed some food with his chopsticks as he spoke. "This's sort of made for someone on a diet, ain't it? 'stead of a lot of food, it makes ya use yer chopsticks more often."

"Oh, so it makes you feel like you ate more than you did?"

"I guess ya wouldn't notice since ya take small bites regardless, Kimura."

_Is that true?_ she wondered.

Mizukami then asked a question while grabbing some boiled sweet potato.

"What are we going to do now?"

.

"Well." Kimura responded to Mizukami's question. "The new Wanderers Leader has already gone ahead to their ship to depart and has done so long ago. Their former leader should be sleeping on the couch down below while to complete the process on our end. ...With their help, the plan is for Border to announce the amount of people trying out for the next Enlistment Day and send two of them to this branch."

"Gotcha, gotcha. And once that's done, we'll see if we can use that guy's connection, right?"

Mizukami used voice input to convert Kimura's explanation to text and then did some typing to fix a conversion mistake. He likely intended to inform some other teams. That said...

_...There's no real point in telling certain teams this._

"Until that time comes around, we'll continue with worrying about the sponsors and the meetings that will come up from that. You aren't part of those, but you should still prepare yourself."

"...So the extra time's gonna be more about the sponsors than the Rank Wars, is it?"

Kimura looked over to see Mizukami grabbing more of his bento. _You take pretty small bites yourself,_ she thought before correcting the boy.

"I will admit to forgetting that. Sorry. But besides all of that we're still students, so we have to take care of our schoolwork first. That's how I see it at least."

"I've never liked schoolwork. I find war a lot more exciting and fun. Although that can be applied to shōgi too, so don't get me wrong."

Suzume sleepily sat up and moved her unsteady right hand as if writing in the air.

"Kindred...spirits?"

After writing out those invisible words, Suzume collapsed back onto the floor.

Mizukami looked past his arm and at the others.

"Are those idiots gonna be okay?"

"I'd say that they're idiots, they're okay, and they're also dangerous."

"Saying that ain't gonna fix them."

Mizukami was quite strict. Could he say that because he had known them for awhile?

The word "old friends" came to mind, so Kimura asked a question.

"What do you think Director Akasora is planning with all of this?"

"Huh? How would I know?"

"You learned some things from him, didn't you? You can't make any guesses?"

"It was only a few lessons while Kō and Kiyoshi dragged me along. This is the first I'd heard of Akasora-san... No, he likes to be called 'Sensei'. It's the first I've heard of him having such dangerous friends. It does make sense that he wouldn't used it as way to negotiate under these circumstances. But..."

"Can you think of anything?

"Ya know as well as I do, don't you? Before he was a teacher, Akasora-san and some of the other directors were a part of the original Border and went around protecting people. This is coming from second-hand knowledge, but he said he went around visiting places."

"—"

That reminded Kimura.

_...That's right._

Back during the start of high school, he had mentioned that in passing.

And at the time, he had said...

"He and Masafumi - Director Shinoda - caused their friend to leave Mikado City..."

"Yeah. Now we know that the friend he was talkin' 'bout was Tenryū's dad: Tenryū Seidō."

That was not the end of the story.

While speaking with the Wanderers, Akasora had acted more like a teacher first.

_He really cares for everyone younger than him, doesn't he?_

And then he had acted like a Border agent.

_His priories are not mixed up since caring for the people younger than him also works as a way for caring about most of the Border members._

"And what about as a friend?"

"I'd assume that was mixed in to both since he managed to dump Tenryū off on the Wanderers," said Mizukami.

"Right," replied Kimura as she thought about this. If that was the same thing, "He is always keeping his friends, those younger than him, and his position has a member of Border in mind when taking things seriously."

"Probably. And if this was a way to make up for the past, Director Shinoda-san might also be doing his best to make sure it all works out. Even sayin' that, the only two people who would really know are currently in this room. One of them is sleeping over there and the other is busy taking care of others."

"I see," said Kimura with a nod. But then she heard a sudden voice.

"Um, M-Mei?"

It was Yuki.

.

Yuki was faced with a new experience.

He had never before come across this situation.

_...Dealing with a drunk Rampage Dress!_

Mei sat in front of him and turned her unfocused eyes toward him.

Her face was red, and occasionally...

"Nn."

She would tremble as if hiccupping.

What had caused this? The sake, obviously.

The Shintai Shrine's bentos came with sake. That sake of course contained a weariness-reducing medicine and it would not get you drunk even if you drank it like sake. The intoxication would be purified away as a byproduct of the medicine.

But it had been a poor match for a major lightweight like Mei.

The sake that had been sent by the local shrine had permeated her body after the weariness was removed. The intoxication would normally be removed as a byproduct of the medicine and at worse make the person sleepy.

_...But she must be an extremely lightweight for this to effect her like this. I guess that's why I never seen any hint of alcohol in her house besides the rubbing kind._

Mei would normally cook away from any prying eyes so no one knew if she used any sort of alcohol for her meals. Certain Japanese dishes required it to give some flavor, but it seemed as if she did not use them.

But now she was drunk, even if only a little. As for why...

_...That would be due to the burden of the battle._

Their lives had not been on the line this time. But Yuki remembered that Mei cared for his and Murakami's teacher a lot as well for their sake. "That copycat" was still the 5th most searched term on their network.

_I can't take this lightly._

But...

"Listen, Yuki."

"Y-yes."

"Good. You listened."

_...What was the point of that!?_

But Mei patted her left hand on the tatami mat floor.

"Yuki, you have treated me quite well, but I do have one complaint."

"Wh-what is that!?"

Yuki realized Kimura and Mizukami were expressionlessly looking his way from the window beyond Mei. Mizukami moved his jaw to mouth "go on", so what even was this situation?

But Mei could not see them and she answered his question.

"Let's move to a bigger house soon."

"Y-yes! That's right! ...Wait! Do you mean together!?"

He was wholeheartedly fine with that. After all, he was only living with Oshiro and the pup he came with and the two of them had known each other long enough to where it would not be an issue. And they had enough possessions that it could fit in a single house. So...

"We can start by moving to a double-story house and, um, you know, we can get that nice desk you've seen been-..."

"No, not that."

Mei bluntly cut him off and suddenly straightened her wobbling head.

"I want to sleep with our beds side by side. No, if possible, in the same bed."

Mizukami briefly froze in place, but Kimura soon nodded to say "don't let it bother you". She then produce a sign from her notepad:

It's a necessary step for future generations.

_...Our relationship is being regulated! This is the dark side of a regulated society! Wait! We aren't even together!_

But Mei could not see the goings-on behind her.

"Yuki, I want to be able to touch you while I sleep. I would be so happy if you were right next to me when I woke up in the morning and when I woke up in the middle of the night."

"Well..."

"Thank you very much."

_...I still don't understand and did she just take that as a yes!? This feels way too much like a confession!_

Mei, however, raised her eyebrows a little and her head nodded a bit. He could tell she was sleepy, but...

"Yuki. Do you know how thankful I am for you?"

Yuki's words briefly caught in his throat.

Mei could ask him question while in this state.

That alone made his heart skip a beat for a moment.

He had a feeling "yes" was the wrong answer, but "no" also seemed like a bad answer.

As he tried to figure out what to say, Akashi held up a sign by the wall.

Talk about love. A love that will last more than a hundred billion nights!

_It would seem people actually calm down when their anger reaches the limit._

But Yuki used the words that came to him naturally.

"I am thankful for you as well, Mei."

"I am more thankful for you."

"No, I am."

"No, I am more thankful."

"Are you, Mei-san?"

"I am, Yuki-san."

Mei mimicked his way of speaking and let her shoulders droop.

"After all," she said. "Ever since meeting you, I have wanted for nothing and felt so much happier than in the past. Even more so when you made up with the team."

Yuki did not know what to say or think.

Akashi held up another sign reading "She means children, not team".

_...Mei..._

He saw tears in her eyes.

She wiped the tears from her cheeks with a casual movement of her sleeve.

So Yuki opened his mouth.

"Mei."

"Wh-what is it?"

She was drunk, so would she remember this conversation? But he felt like this was something he could only say due to that uncertainty.

And he made sure to check on his surroundings.

_...They're mostly asleep, aren't they!?_

He felt like his future was forfeit simply because the awful Sniper captain was awake and talking, but he had no choice. He also saw Mizukami and Kimura staring out the window while blatantly keeping an ear directed his way.

But he could not let their presence bother him.

This was about Mei. So he moved his knees up toward her.

"Listen."

_This is the reverse of earlier,_ he thought as he continued.

"I am no more than a faker."

That was true. He had nothing to his name besides taking from others to remake them and make them his own.

"So I merely devote myself to the things I can do and live my life without asking for much," he said. "But there is one luxury that I was willing to turn my back on that lifestyle."

"You mean...?"

"That is you, Mei."

Mei stopped moving. Then he raised his right index finger toward her.

"And now that one luxury in my life is saying she is happy with her life here. That is the greatest happiness for me and I take pride in it. I am glad I made the choices and decisions I did and I am glad I have you and everything about you."

"Then..." More tears spilled from Mei's eyes. "I need to make sure you make me even happier. And please tell me what I can do to make you happy. After all..."

After all...

"Your happiness is my happiness too."

Mizukami could be heard choking on his piece of meat outside the window. After a while, Yuki also heard Kimura saying "That's right, Mizukami-san. I know just how you feel."

Regardless, Mei seemed to have calmed down. She was still drunk, but...

"Yuki?"

"Yes, what is it?"

Mei patted her thigh.

What did that mean?

_...? Am I supposed to focus on her thigh?_

It was a truly splendid shape.

But then Mei once more patted her thigh as if prompting him to do something.

_Eh?_ he thought with a tilt of the head. He saw her wrinkle her brow a little.

She was upset.

_...Huh? Um, wh-why? What is all this?_

Mei then slapped her thigh twice, but he still did not understand.

"U-um, Mei?"

"...Yuki."

She seemed to be saying "please understand without me needing to tell you". No...

_...Mei would say "you had better understand without me telling you", wouldn't she!_

He corrected himself, but the situation remained unchanged.

"...Ah."

Only after observing his surroundings did he understand what Mei meant.

To their left, the idiot and Kon were using Kagami as...

_...A lap pillow._

_I see!_ he realized, but he also shuddered.

At home would be one thing, but if he slept like that here, he could not even guess what the others would do if they woke up first. No, he could actually guess _exactly_ what they would do and it scared him.

_...I would easily fill the entire top 10 search terms on the Border network!_

But Mei...

"Yuki."

Looking somewhat drunk, she raised her eyebrows a little, but she looked somehow uncertain of herself. In fact, she looked on the verge of tears.

_...Mei is mustering her courage, too. I guess Rampage Dress doesn't shown since she isn't in her right mind._

When he heard her slap her thigh again, he spoke.

"Mei. We are being watched."

.

Kimura saw Yuki disappear.

_...Oh?_

The ninja-like boy vanished in an instant.

"Eh?"

Even while sitting right in front of him, Mei's shoulders jumped in surprise when he vanished. Kimura could guess this was Teleport, but why use it and where had he gone?

"...Ah."

She suddenly found Yuki lying with his head in Mei's lap.

Mei also finally noticed.

"Oh, dear," she said. "Yuki? Your hair is still covering your eye."

However, she did not try to move the hair. Yuki simply pushed the hair to cover both eyes.

And after checking on his surroundings...

"...This is a luxury."

"Yuki?"

"What is it?"

"Next time, can I use your arm as a pillow?"

Mizukami gathered the contents of his bottle into his mouth so fast the bottle started to shrivel up to nothing.

He then gulped down the drink with a loud and solid sound.

"...Today has been bad for my heart."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. ...Hey, look. Misaki-san is drawing out a storyboard in her sleep."

Something was also happening with Kirikari's group. Murakami had lost the battle against sleepiness and collapsed, so his upper body was draped over the idiot and Kon like a dog.

And in her sleep, the Tachikawa Operator was opening the stomach of Kagami's inner suit, so just how fully-automatic was that gaming Operator?

_But,_ thought Kimura as she and Mizukami looked back at them all.

"We'll be busy in an entirely different way starting soon."


End file.
